God Is Not Joining You on Any Mission to Prove a Point: A Message delivered by Apostle Femi Lazarus.
In a world where success is defined by flesh, achievements, and the approval of other, it is very easy to forget why certain processes are embarked upon. There is this need within many people to convince the world, others or themselves about something and some will look to God expecting Him to bless their plans, affirming their agendas. But as Apostle Femi Lazarus rightly said, “God is not joining you on any mission or journey to prove a point to anyone; God is not your bodyguard.” This powerful message underscores an often-overlooked truth about our relationship with God: He is not in our lives to cater to our personal dreams but for the purpose of the Lord’s plan.
God’s Sovereignty: Knowing His Master Agenda
Among the important truths that Apostle Lazarus exposes, one may name the belief in the divine sovereignty most important. This is the Lord and Master of all creation and the Author, the King and the Governor of the universe. He has this master plan and His plans are so much bigger than we can conceive. As much as we might have desires, and dreams, and aspirations, it is important for us to understand that God does not have an agenda to try to prove anything to anybody. Therefore, the goals for our lives are in His perfect kingdom not in the way that lustfully demonstrates to others success, intelligence, or worth.
The Bible tells us in Proverbs 19:21, For as a man thinks in his heart, so the LORD will turn and lay plans against him. This passage makes one to be a humble knowing full well that however much one may plan, GOD is still in control. As we try to employ God to fill our need for identity endorsement or a proclamation, we overlook that His intentions are higher, deeper, much more glorious than ours. This means that for one to be in sync with His plan and therefore follow His will it is a complete package that does not aim at seeking people’s approval but to implement the purpose given.
The folly of worshiping God and using him as an endorsement agent to justify ourselves.
Apostle Lazarus also gives a warning against the fulfilment of religious worship where God, his attributes and blessings become a way of appealing before men, or gaining validation from people. When faith is used as a way to justify ourselves, we come to god for what He can give us with no much regard for His ways.
This same temptation was experienced by many characters in biblical stories. Think of King Saul who, on account of the lack of patience and pride, offered sacrifice prior the prophet Samuel got there expecting that his action would help him gain God’s approval as well as that of his people (1 Sam. 13). His disobedience of God’s instructions revealed that he desires to assert his authority to other people than to God. It eventually culminated in the downfall of Saul, and a really important message that if you try to play God and choose for yourself instead of listening to His direction it will not turn out well.
According to Apostle Lazarus, God is not a hired mercenary that follows wherever we go and protects us. When we disobey Him and follow our fleshly desires, assuming that he should intervene and bail us out of our Business ideas, then we are presumptuous about our relationship with Him. However, protection from God is not outside of His will through which He guards and plays a role in our lives. Thus, we cannot take for granted that God will always support activities out of pride, self- ambition or competition. Thus in Matthew 7:23 Jesus said: “Then I will tell them plainly, ‘Depart from me, you evildoers!’, but whoever listens to the Word of God will be saved”.
When the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness they were lead and protected by God but not until He fully determined what he wanted done with them. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21) led them toward a promised land promised Fix Free Initially this paper sought to explore the nature of covenant and resulting salvation experienced by Israelites who followed the leadership of Moses in Numbers 21 . Had they desired to turn from this path they find, the promise of His guidance was not to be. Similar to how the Israelites accepted God’s guidance in their life; we have to understand that God only provides provisions for our direction only when we are on the right path/ God’s path.
Assemble to Yield to God’s Plan Rather Than Ourplans
Real faith involves a surrender into the Lord’s purposes in life which may not be a personal preference of an individual. Submission means surrendering the desire to prove something to the world, to friends, or even to a family. Jesus Himself demonstrated this when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, saying, “Not my will, but yours be done” (Matthew 26:39). Jesus too understood the agony that He was yet to endure and yet He offered Himself to His Father, denying Himself comfort or recognition.
It is not easy to live under God’s plan when life tends to train people to be on their own instead of depending on others. But this is the life of faith, God’s people walking through a world that hates them, all the while knowing their God hates the world. It is the willingness to hear God’s voice and allow him to steer our lives away from the things that we think will make us happy. God always wants us to be free and at peace, and that comes when we give up the pressure to convince others of something.
What It Means to Pray for God’s Will Instead of Praying for Approval
Admit it or not, holding onto the thought that we want to convince others that we are right can really fuel us up. It can be to prove a point that we can do it, are deserving or are valuable.” However, as Apostle Lazarus will say, all of these things only pull us further astray from what God has in mind for us. Here are ways we can learn to align with God’s will and let go of this need for validation:
Give Up Your Goals to God – Ask God to help you be honest with the goals that you may be having in your life. Pray to Him to open the vision of His heart for you and have your heart’s purposes under His.
Consult Him First – In any big decision, always pray and open God’s word to determine what He wants us to do. It’s better not to fold our strategies and pray God that this particular project be successful, but to pray and ask God where to go and then go there.
Be Humble and Patient – Do not rush so much for an approval because, you are unique. It is good to wait and know fully well that God’s time is the best and any thing that he has planned for you is worth the wait.
Pray – In prayer God’s purpose becomes more evident to us as we fix our attention on the word of God. The Word is a timely wakeup call to realign our values and or to remind ourselves what is most important.
The Happiness and Satisfaction of Living a Divine Purpose
Truly living to fulfil God’s purpose is a beautiful thing as it does not come with the pressure that comes with having to seek the appreciation of other people. People strive to work hard to prove their value, but when they stop and are content with the fact that they are walking God’s path, they are content. We remember that God’s plan also involves the expansion of His kingdom for the glory of Himself. The chances of living like this enable us to showcase to others including our fellow society members that true success can only be seen in obeying God than having colorful achievements on our part.
Consider the story of Joseph. Regardless of the betrayal, false accusations and imprisonment that followed Joseph remained loyal to Gods plan. He might as well strive with his brother or kill his brothers and become the king, but he submitted to God’s higher wisdom. Eventually, the Lord of redemption wrote a beautiful testimony with his life. Learning from Joseph, it becomes clear that when we are in the will of God, He will lift us up at the right time and use our lives to do that which we could not do on our own.
Conclusion: A Marriage of Faith & Surrender
Listening to Apostle Femi Lazarus is a wake up call for believers to embrace the word of God as the New year dawned. It is not for inviting Him into giving our plans His blessing or into preserving our pride. God’s love and guidance are not meant for people to seek approval from others or to help them to stay immune to critique. Instead, they are there to assist us to perform the divine function for which God created us.
When we come this far, faith becomes a walk of surrender, respect and trust in the divine. We no longer have a desire to show or convince anyone in the world we are something because we have something that is far bigger than us to do. God is not our bodyguard; He is our God and Saviour, and He guides us. Our lives are happier when we surrender to His plan and accept His ways are better than our own.
Thus the best advice we should accept is that we should take this message to heart. As such if one has to win an argument let him or her lose that argument for the greater goal of living as per the will of God. That is because in so doing we receive true peace, true purpose and true joy which surpasses anything that this world could give.