CRUSHED BUT NOT DESTROYED
/ CRUSHED BUT NOT DESTROYED 5 WHEN PLANS FAIL
Has anything such as failed plans, shattered hopes, persecution, difficulties, disappointment, loss of beloved ones made you to question your faith in God? Have you still not yet recovered from those shocks? I want you to know that what God does not know can not happen and there is always a purpose for it; yes, it may take you time to believe me due to the gravity of the pain or shock but it is true.
Many are the plans in a man's heart but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.
Proverbs 19:21 NIV
Plans do not fail just like that. Find out the reason why your plan failed. It could be for divine purposes that they failed but you may not understand it now. I might not know the level or the gravity of your sorrow, but I know a friend who can weigh the weight of that sorrow and tell you what it weighs exactly, Jesus wants you to admit that what God does not know will not happen.
The Father asked me to tell you that all things work for good for those who love him. He knows how crushed you were, but he will not let you to be destroyed—"many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all." (Ps. 34:19) That thorn-filled road that you are walking on, Jesus had also walked on it, and he knows how it pinches. I want to take you back to the life of Paul the apostle, for he also experienced such things, and at the end, he stood and said in the following verses:
Who shall separate us from the love of God? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loves us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor power, nor things Present, nor things to come. Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:35–39 KJV
How I wish you can see Jesus asking you, "Son, daughter, do not give up. Just a little while, and the battle will be over."
How you react in your today's adversity, will determine how you will face tomorrow's success. I once told a friend that today is the tomorrow we talked of yesterday. How you manage today, which you prepared yesterday, will determine the result of tomorrow.
Sometimes in life, because of tomorrow, God has to prepare us today for tomorrow's sake, so how we react and cope with his today's training will determine the type of provision he will make tomorrow; if we fail his today's test, it may affect our tomorrow's provision.
Take note that the purpose of examinations is for promotion. It is also to test one's ability and knowledge—one's ability to perform, act, control, protect, lead, etc. No man gives something important to an unqualified person. God is not prodigal. He is the owner of the universe, and he manages his affairs prudently; so for that reason, before he could give you any of his affairs to manage, he must first of all test you. Remember that the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof and the things therein.
Do you know that there is a purpose for these your adversities? It could be that there is an affair or department in one of his creatures, and he would want you to control in future. As a result of it, he begins preparing you for it by using adversity of all kinds to prepare you for an office that he would hand over to you. Your response and reactions to these adversities will determine whether you are capable to handle the office or not.
May I ask you this question? Maybe you want to give up in your adversity—do you know the type of future God is longing to give you if you will endure? If God has promised to bless you and up to now you have not seen the manifestation of the blessing, prophet Habakkuk said in his book, "… even if it lingers wait for it must surely come and will not prove false,". (Habakkuk 2:3).
That situation you are going through now is somebody's testimony today. Your pains, sorrow, and tears was somebody's story yesterday but his testimony today. It's because he endured and that made him able to stand in the crowd to boldly say "the storm is over." I'm sure by now, you must have questioned yourself over and over again, and the choice is yours either to quit or to endure.
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. James 1:12 KJV
Your adversity, sorrow, test, persecution, or whatever, it is for a divine purpose. It does not happen just like that. God once said, "I have heard the weeping and agony of my children and I have come to answer them, not because I only love them but because I care for them." God does not take delight in punishing his people; after all, he is a loving Father. A loving Father does not want you to start preparatory at the point of performance, get prepared when it is time for preparatory, and perform when it is time for the performance. No actor begins his preparatory on the stage; the stage is for performing but before he could perform on the stage, he must have rehearsed it in his closet over and over again.
Whatever you fail to practice before the examination day, expect that you will not do it perfectly in the examination hall. In other words, when it is time for you to prove yourself, you cannot perform the task properly, or may not even be able to perform at all, because you failed to learn when you were supposed to learn it.
Take a look at the story of the prodigal son; he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Things were so easy for him and never a day did he experienced adversity, but when it was time for him to stand on his own—to face life or manage some of his father's affairs—he could not perform. He lavished the whole wealth, and the reason was not far fetched. It was simply because he did not undergo any test or experience any adversity. He had no knowledge of estate management; he started preparatory at the time of performance, which led to his downfall. He who supposed to eat in the palace was seen eating in the pits with the pigs and that is what inadequate preparatory could do in one's life.
In the parable of the unfaithful servant, each servant was given according to his limits and no one can perform beyond his limits.
And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straight way took his journey.
Matthew 25:15 KJV
Here, their master had already tested them and knew to what extent each can perform. They may not know that their master was monitoring them, just as you may not know that God is watching you. When it was time for the settlement, he gave each according to his ability. Indeed unto much is given, much is expected; in that case, do not compare yourself with others. The level of what you are managing depends on your ability and the level of test you passed. God knows your ability through the test in those moments of adversity and how you cope with the test will determine the level of what blessings he will give you. Do not compare the level of your adversity with others because what the future holds for you will determine the level of your adversity; it is a price to pay. Jesus underwent his own adversity and so you have to face yours. No teacher sets his test to fail his student but to promote him. Like the teacher, God sets his tests to promote you.
EXAMINE THE CAUSE OF YOUR FAILURE
Failed plans and shattered hopes could bring grief or adversity as the case may be. Find out the reasons why your plans failed. Many are suffering as a result of their failed plans, and the pain seems to drag them away from the reality of life. Sometimes, plans do fail as a result of one's nonchalant attitude, carelessness, and lack of seriousness. When one's plans failed him, it could lead him to a perpetual trouble, and so you have to distinguish between adversity and the mistake you made which led you to your problem. If you are not careful enough to protect your plans, then you will bear any consequences when your plans fail.
As they say that "opportunity comes but once" so when you have an opportunity and misuse it, you must pay for it, and the price is very traumatic. Therefore, you need to be very careful in handling any opportunity you will come across. If your adversity is not a result of your mistake, then it has its purpose of coming. Uninvited adversity flows naturally so in the case of uninvited adversities, accept it with joy. Do not force it to stop until its purpose is fully matured— when you go to the river, do not force it to flow to the direction that you want. Give it chance to flow its natural course and not to the direction you want because in doing so, you will get yourself hurt. When Jesus came across the storm of life, he wanted to force it to flow in the way he wanted; but later, he allowed it to flow at its will by saying "let your will be done not mine" .
Forcing the river to flow to the direction that you desire will get you drowned. By forcing your own adversity to flow to the direction you want, it may cause you to miss the target, since you did not create or invited it. So why not let it to flow to its natural course?
Find out the root of your adversity, did it come by your invitation or it came on its own? Are you having a failed plan and shattered hopes? Have you found out the cause of those failures? Was it as a result of your mistakes? In the Book of Lamentation, the prophet Jeremiah said "let us examine our ways and test them" (Lamentation 3:40). If you have examined your failure and found out that it was not your fault, then it is for a divine purpose. Selwyn Hughes put his own suggestions this way:
"The first thing we should do whenever we have a failed plan is to analyze the reason for the failure. These are some of the questions you should ask yourself: Have I contributed in any way to this failure by such matters as inattention to detail, lack of preparation, naivety, wrong timing, failure to weigh up the pros and cons, disregard of moral principles, or insensitivity to other people's feelings? You might ask yourself: what does God want me to learn from this failure? It is difficult of course, to sit down and question yourself like this when failure strikes. But as soon as possible after the event, try to assess the lessons that can be learned by honestly facing your emotions—emotions such as hurt, anger and anxiety. If a failure occurs through no fault of your own, and you know without a shadow of doubt that you are not the cause of the failure, consider that God might be behind it. Is He wanting to draw your attention to a purpose He may have for you that may take you in another direction?"
Indeed when a plan fails, there is a reason for it; but if you are in a hurry, you will not know the reason. Someone said "I may be in haste but I will not be in hurry." So do not be in hurry to find out the cause of your failed plans. Consider the fact that when a child falls, he will just get up, dusts himself, and continue moving; but when an adult falls, he gets up and he will first look back, then dusts himself before continue moving—he looked back to find the cause of the fall. So when your plan fails, do not be in hurry like that child who did not find out the cause of his fall but be like the adult who sought the cause of his fall.
Knowing how to use a failed plan and turn it to your advantage is one of life's greatest progress and so when you come to the ocean, do not push it but let it flow on its own. Whatever you do not value, you will not appreciate it—learn how to appreciate your failed plans and turn it into good, try to see the good out of the bad. Do not just bear the burden of your failed plans but use it.
I read in a book about a little girl who made a challenging statement. She said that "Jesus did not just carry his cross—he used it." Are you only bearing the pains of your failed plans, or will you both bear it and use it to your advantage? It is not what happened that matters; it is what you do with it that counts. If you have thoroughly investigated the failure of your plans and find out that it was not your fault, in that case it should be seen as a divine opportunity.
CONSIDER THE FAILED PLANS AS AN OPPORTUNITY
Verily, verily, I said unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it dies, it bringth forth much fruit.
John 12:24 KJV
It is an action that stimulates reaction, sometimes it is according to the divine plan of God. He works in our failed plans to turns it into his divine plans for us. I want you to begin to see your failed plans and shattered hopes as an opportunity and see how God turns it into opportunity because in that—in which you considered as a failure—comes the divine purpose of God, because he is the master planner. God turns your failure into fruitfulness, disappointment into appointment, groaning into growth, disability into ability, and adversity into advancement.
You may not see it now but with the eyes of faith it is so. Sometime ago, I read a story of a woman who said that the happiest day in her life was the day God shattered her plans to give her his divine plan. To some people, it may sound so foolish to think so; but to her, it meant a lot, since she knows that God has the best plan for her life.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8–9 KJV
Let us in a few moments deliberate on the life of a man who abandoned his plans to follow God's own plan. He thought it wise to consider his failed plans as an opportunity. He did not see his failure as a failure but as a vehicle that will convey him to his destiny.
FATHER ABRAHAM
He was a man like us who would like to live in all comfort. I believed he must have planned for his life like some of us. I mean, if he is in our generation, he must have planned the type of mansion he would like to build, the type of car to ride, the type of wife to marry, and lots more. But in all those plans, God shattered it to give him his own divine plans.
Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make they name great, and thou shall be a blessing. Genesis 12:1–2 KJV
By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing wither he went. Hebrews 11:8 KJV
The eye of faith sees much differently beyond what ordinary eyes could see— physical eyes see God's plans as foolish and disappointing; but through the eyes of faith, Abraham was able to see God's plans for his life to be the best and divine.
The eyes of faith see clearer more than any other eyes. It may not be easy for Abraham to carry God's plan, but he had to do it despite what his kinsmen would tell him. In fact, if it was in this era that such a thing happened, some of the so-called elders in the church would see him as a man that is faster than his very shadow. They will summon him to verify whether it is God that was speaking to him or a hallucination. Permit me to prove it. I have seen in a church where an assistant pastor went to the pastor and told him that God has laid in his heart to leave the church and open his own church.
Instead of the senior pastor to accept it with joy and pray for him to carry on with his plan(—just as the ancient church did when the word of prophecy came to separate Paul and Silas for the work they had to do—the church never hesitated to pray for them and sent them in peace), He found a means to fight him and prevent him lest he loose his members. Abraham being a man of faith left his own plan and carry on with the divine plan of God.
After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram: in a vision, saying, fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
Genesis 15:1 KJV
We read how God told Abraham that he, God himself, will be his reward. Imagine God being a reward to Abraham, which other reward does Abraham need again since the source of all rewards is his?
Abraham, still following the God's plan, When God told Abraham to sacrifice his only son for him because it was part of God's plan for him, Abraham did not question God's plan; in fact, if it happened in the present, we may confront and question the voice. Some, burning with zeal, will start to bind the voice but Abraham never did so. He rather yielded himself to following God's plans. Honestly, sometimes, God's plan seem to be foolish and fiasco but it is not. Despite what God told him "In Isaac shall thy seed be called" (Gen. 21:12). and Abraham knowing fully well that he was too old to bear child again if he sacrificed Isaac, but he never took it to heart.
Jesus said "if any man would follow me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." (Matt.16:24). Indeed Abraham denied himself to follow God's plan for him no matter what it may cost. I do not know what God is taking from you, which you did not let go to give you his own plan. God is taking your good plan to replace it with his divine plan, but you are seeing it as punishment or hatred. It is not. It is for your well-being and if you will only permit him, you will enjoy it at the end. In God's calendar, there is something that is better than the best.
No loving father will see danger ahead of his son's plan and leaves him to carry it on because of how beautiful the plan is or because he does not want the child to get hurt. I do not know how beautiful your plan was before God shattered it. Though it may be nice at the beginning, but do you know how the end will be? It is only God that knows the end from the beginning. Your plans will determine your destination.
We are always eager to calculate gain in whatever we want to do but very reluctant to calculate the loss. The reason why some people find themselves in prison or had-Iknown situations is that the devil always cover people's eyes to blind them of the bad side of what they wanted to do. Yet, they will open their eyes so wide to only see the profit in it.
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Proverbs 14:12 KJV
And that was the reason apostle Paul warned us to live by the spirit so that we may not gratify the desire of the sinful nature. In a local church one day, a preacher had an interview with one woman. The woman told the preacher that God hurts her; he did not hesitate to ask her how? The woman told the preacher that she has been asking God for one particular thing, but God has not done it for her. Now, the woman may be seeing God as being harsh to her but it is not so—God is a loving God. He knows the best time to do it for her. Maybe if God does it then, it may lead her to something else and that was the reason God kept delaying it till the appointed time. Though you may be hurt, you are not harmed and so, even if he lingers, wait for him patiently.
If you were a father who has a son about eight-years old and is demanding that you should buy a car for him, (to that child, he feels that he is due for it, but to you, he has not grown matured enough to drive a car and because you love your son)—would you yield to his demand in order to please him? I guess you would keep delaying that demand until the right time.
If a father could hurt his child's feelings just to protect him from all sorts of dangers or accidents, then how much more God? I do not know what you have been asking God for so long, and he keeps delaying it but now you are about to give up, backslide, even to the point of resigning the post you are holding in the church. I want you to know that there is a reason why he has not done it for you. It is not that he hates you, but if he does it now, it may lead you to hell, and for that he keeps delaying it till the right time.
The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.
Lamentation 3:25–26 KJV
I do not know what way has God shattered your plan; but if he allowed you to continue with it, it may lead you to regret or even death. He who is omniscient has seen the danger ahead and shattered that plan. Yet, you see it as hatred and you tell yourself that if God does not hate you, he would not have shattered your beautiful plans. But may I ask you, if God hates you, would he have sent his son to die for you? Is it not love that made him to do so? Then, why are you seeing him as your enemy because he has shattered your plans? God, in the course of shattering your plans, is making a provision. He does not leave you just like that.
Maybe you are one of the people whose hopes and plans were shattered by God, and you are thinking to take a negative action. I can hear Jesus standing beside you saying these words:
"Do not be offended in me." And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
Matthew 11:6 KJV
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Pray that God will not use your life as an example for others to take correction, but you will learn from the mistakes of others. There was a day I came across a woman who was desperate to marry and just a few years after the marriage, her husband died. Now things are difficult for her—it may be that she realized that she was late to marry, and as a result of that, she married so desperately. When you become desperate in life, you run into danger—why not wait for God's time? In this life, it is not how far but how well, and it is not how long you live that matters, but what you are able to do with those years.
I know a lady that was so desperate to marry because all of her friends had gotten married. She did not wait patiently for God's time and married so desperate. The marriage had lasted only for months—anything done out of desperation never ends well. The rapid increase of broken homes and divorce are as a result of desperation. But since you are able to wait up to this moment, why can't you wait to the end? The storm is almost coming to an end.
The problem of the world today is that they refused to follow the plan and the pattern of God. Most people attend counseling as a result of their mistakes, and instead of following God's plans, they decided to follow their own plans even if God shattered it. They will do otherwise to achieve their desires which will later lead them to trouble.
The truth of the matter is that the problems of people will end only if they will learn how to follow God's plans because there will be no regrets, though it may prove tough in the beginning. Just look around you. You will see that those who followed God's plan for their lives had no room for complaint—Abraham was one of them, he had no cause to complain because God's way is straight and perfect. Although it may not be easy initially, it has no sorrow or regret at the end.
The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
Proverbs 10:22 KJV
If the world can't prevent further issues, such as divorce, suicide, and so forth, from occurring, let them seek to follow God's plans. Let our entire world seek and follow the counsel of the Lord because God will not mislead his people. Let each one of us allow the Lord to think for us because he will think well of us. What makes people run into trouble is comparing themselves with another. Until you stop comparing yourself to other people, you will run out of God's plans for your life.
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