God's purpose for us

Do you wonder about God's purpose for your life? I know that I'm curious about His purpose for my life, and I think that I'm getting closer to the answer: to counsel adult children of divorce. I am one myself, and that topic is as close as one can get to my heart wound.

Jim Graff, senior pastor of Faith Family Church in Victoria, Texas, recently wrote in the Victoria Advocate about how God showed him the appropriate pastoral job:

But then I began to think, 'You know, I really should pray about it before I just go and take a church.'

So I prayed, and as I did God spoke so clearly to me from Scripture in this verse: 'It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way' (Proverbs 19:2).

Long story short, we turned down the offer in Philadelphia. And the opportunity opened up to become pastor of a church of what was then 80 loving families in what I consider the greatest place, with the greatest people any pastor could ever serve: Victoria.

The challenge is following God's purpose for our life. When we look at what he calls us to do, it might not make sense. But he's omniscient and we're not, right?

Take every thought captive

I'm currently reading "The Bondage Breaker", a book by Neil T. Anderson on overcoming negative thoughts, irrational feelings and habitual sins.

One interesting passage on p. 62-63 details an interaction that the author had with a student named Jay:

'I have a very close walk with God,' Jay boasted.

'What do you mean by that?' I asked.

'Well, when I leave school at noon each day, I ask God where He wants me to go for lunch. I usually hear a thought like Burger King, so I go to Burger King. Then I ask Him what He wants me to eat. If the thought comes to order a Whopper, I order a Whopper.'

'What about your church attendance?' I continued.

'I go every Sunday wherever God tells me to go. And for the last three Sundays, God has told me to go to a Mormon church.'

Jay sincerely wanted to do what God wanted him to do, but he was being deceived. God was not directing him to a Mormon church, and He is too good a nutritionist to suggest Whoppers all the time.

What Jay should have done is take every one of his thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ.