This morning in my communion time with the Holy Spirit He spoke to me from Proverbs.19:21 which reads :A person may have many ideas concerning God’s plan for his life, but only the designs of God’s purpose will succeed in the end.

Now the Holy Spirit pointed out to me that the most important thing in our lives is to walk in the designs and blueprint the Lord has for our lives rather than our interpretation of what we think God intends for our lives. He went on to explain further with many examples of what His people assumed was His plan for their lives but which was influenced by family and other prevailing circumstances at the time which skewed the intent of the Lord for their lives.

I will now share one of the examples the Holy Spirit pointed out to me so you can avoid these pits and save yourself much pain and the delay of unnecessary detours and winding paths.

Let us look at the life of Joseph who received two dreams from the Lord about his destiny in Genesis.37:5-11 Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. 6 So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: 7 There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.”8 And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.9 Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.”

10 So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?” 11 And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

Keep in mind the word from Proverbs.19 about having many ideas about God’s plan for your life. You will notice that both Joseph’s brothers and his dad Jacob had their own thoughts about God’s plan for Joseph. Both were wrong because God was not limited to their household and was pointing to Joseph ruling over Egypt and a famine which he would have the God solution for that would save millions of peoples lives.

However their narrow interpretation was intended to thwart the purpose of God over nations. We need to be careful not to allow the present situation in our lives to govern the future God has planned for us to reach Nations for Jesus with a narrow view of the Lord’s ultimate design and manuscript for our lives.

The process God used to bring Joseph into Egypt was therefore painful for them as a family and Joseph personally. However the end result lasted Joseph’s lifetime and brought forth glorious results of an abundant harvest which the Lord had already determined.

However in the end it brought the plan of God into reality as Joseph pointed out to his brothers in Genesis.45:5-9 But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. 9 “Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph: “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry.

Now see and pay attention to the difference between man’s interpretation of events God had spoken and God’s intention. There is a wide gap between our thoughts and God’s thoughts and this is why we need to cast down our thoughts and imaginations and receive God’s thoughts for us. Isaiah.55:8 & 9.

I certainly prefer what God planned, which was a future, a hope and an expected end of glory for the whole family, not a split with brother killing brother as was with Cain and Abel which again was satan’s plan, but lives being saved and restored to the glory God intended for them without jealousy and unnecessary competition.

My prayer for you today as you hear these words is that you will find the grace necessary to move you from the vain thoughts you have walked in concerning the will of God for your lives and be found in the centre of God’s plan and design for you where your life becomes the agency for the restoration of lives back to God and the healing of lives which will bring glory to the name of Jesus and advance His Kingdom on earth of which there is no end.

May you also be healed of all the trauma of the misses and detours of destiny you have walked through which have worked to sear your conscience and harden your heart towards the Lord and leave you desolate.

May great grace be apportioned to you to make up the difference and bring you to the expected end the Lord planned for you from the beginning which will astound both you and your enemies and glorify your Father in heaven here on earth as your life bears much fruit that remains in Jesus name. Amen.