Principle 4 of the Seven Foundational Principles of Career Success
God is so good to us that our prayers should be that we will not miss His plans for our lives.
We often go through challenges that are overwhelming and we are tempted to think that we are in it alone.
Try to imagine you were Joseph, the son of Jacob and you suffered the type of fate he did from his brothers, master and supposed friendly prison inmate. What would you have done if you were the one whose brother tried to kill, sold to slavery and lied about his death? Suck for the rest of your life and play the victim game? Think of how you were going to get your pound of flesh when things get better? Or like we watch in Nollywood, become a hardened criminal, visit your siblings one by one and start a revenge spree. You enter into their houses in the night with a mask, open the mask and let them see your face so they can shout ‘ahhh’ and start pleading for their lives and that of their family?
This is close to the story line for unbelievers but not for a child of God.
Please study Psalms 139: 1-18, but permit me to make few comments on verses 13 and 16.
“For You formed my innermost parts; You knit me [together] in my mother’s womb.
Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were appointed for me, When as yet there was not one of them [even taking shape].”
Psalms 139:13, 16 AMP
- Your parents are only the vehicles God used to bring you to this life. He chose them for you and there is a reason in line with His plan why He chose them. Please honour them no matter what as the word of the Lord says
- He formed you in your mother’s womb and there was no mistake about you. Cherish the skills, abilities, personalities, talents etc you were born with, they are all plan of the plan.
- Here is the sweetest part, every single day of your life is already captured in His story book. Guess what, He knew about your current circumstances. He knows that boss was going to stress you and that was why He made sure you were transferred to his department so that he can do the work of pruning that God wants him to do. He knew there was going to be COVID-19 in year 2020 that will cause a loss of job because according to His plan for you, you will be too comfortable that you will not realize that it was time to move to the next phase of His plan. So He needed to shake you a bit so that you can check out the burning bush like Moses to get your attention to look at those things He has planned for you to do but you have refused to do.
Friends, God’s got your back and front any day anytime. All we need to do is to trust Him and do what is righteousness at all times.
Joseph could have missed God’s plan for His life if he had ridden on the tide of trend to sleep with his master’s wife. After all, she was the one that made the move and it was going to be a secret between the two of them.
Imagine how that singular act could have changed his story? Perhaps, they will enjoy the fling so well that they plot to take out Potiphar and Joseph could have thwarted the plan that he must get to prison to meet the King’s butler who would have a dream that got interpreted and who would eventually mention him to the king when he had his dream. Joseph would then have ended up as the new Potiphar rather than the prime minister he was meant to be and the descendants of Jacob could have starved to death during the famine, and the whole plan of God that Jesus would come from the seed of Abraham could have been frustrated.
You are in God’s grand scheme of things and this is the more reason why we all need to heed the warning in Ephesians 5: 15-17.
“Therefore see that you walk carefully [living life with honor, purpose, and courage; shunning those who tolerate and enable evil], not as the unwise, but as wise [sensible, intelligent, discerning people], making the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil. Therefore do not be foolish and thoughtless, but understand and firmly grasp what the will of the Lord is.”
Ephesians 5:15-17 AMP
God bless you.
Akindele Afolabi
Christian Employee Series.