Preparation

This is Pieter de Waal with the third article of
the "God's Process for His Purposes" e-course.

God desires you to prosper! Last week you saw that the blessings given to Abraham and his descendants are also meant for you ... because according to God's word the real descendants of Abraham are the people who have faith.

God's Process for His Purposes Part 3 - "Preparation"

God is a cool God and His plan for your life rocks!

Jesus said: "I have come in order that you might have life---
life in all its fullness." (Joh 10:10)

To get this life in all its fullness, we must do it God's way.

Abraham is the father of our faith. Just like he had to pass through certain phases to fulfill his destiny, you and I must do the same. God is not in the instant business. We all know to that if you want the real thing, you have to be willing to wait a little longer. Whether it is instant milk, instant coffee or instant soup, it is not quite the same as the original product!

Instant food, though convenient, simply cannot compare with the quality that you would get if you would sit down in a gourmet restaurant and wait to be served. We also know that instant diets and instant riches are more likely to land you in trouble than to be of a any real life-long benefit.

There is much more to prosperity than
simply being rich and famous.

You have only to look at the celebrities who have struck it rich as teenagers to see how their lives are falling apart.

If your 5-year old insists on a 500cc road-bike, you are definitely not even going to consider his demands!. There is a very good reason why there is an age restriction on getting your driver's license and you, because you care for him, you are going to let him wait until he is ready.

If you as an earthly parent knows to prepare your children for responsibility, then your heavenly Father even more so. If you want lasting results, you must trust God to deliver.

Just as there are phases in our physical growth, there are also very distinct phases in our spiritual growth.

It is of utmost importance that we identify these phases correctly, not only in our own lives, but also in the lives of
our disciples (especially our children).

Click here to read more about God's process

A single wrong choice in this regard
can have devastating results.

Abraham, for example, mistakenly thought that God was taking too long to deliver on His promise, and in his impatience he created Ishmael. Till today, the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael are still at war.

In my own life I have made similar wrong choices. For example, while I was a student I was challenged with a situation that required me to have lots of faith. So I started to read about faith, study about faith, speak about faith and practice faith to the best of my ability.

In the process, I ended up generating more and more problems in my life and was generally going through hell. I not only ended up hurting myself and other people that I cared about, but inadvertently also ran the risk of being rebellious to God. Why? Because at that point in my life, God's goal for me was not faith, it was obedience!

Click here to read more about God's process

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In my next session, I will tell you more about the faith heroes in the bible and how God's process is applied to their lives.

Till then, God bless you.