When angel Gabriel appeared to Mary who was found highly favored by the Lord and spoke to her of what will become of her, chosen to be the Mother of Son of the Highest, she was deeply troubled over the words of the angel and bewildered over what this may mean for her. Yet, even when those words were beyond her comprehension, “Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to Thy word.” (Luke 1:38)

Our God is a purposeful God.  We always have to remind ourselves that when He positions us in a place where our human intellect cannot fathom, this only means one thing … that it is He Who will show us the way by what He says and it is He Who will empower us to do what He intends to do with and through us, for His Word is never void of power. 

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) 

Our reality is that we are never left alone. “His Word is near us, in our mouths and in our hearts.”  (Romans 10:8)   When He chooses and calls us to do a specific task, He anoints us and provides for us to fulfill it. When He unveils a vision, provision is always at hand.  He gave us His Word for assurance that what He promised He is faithful to perform.  He Who is full of grace and truth is always with us.  His Presence goes before us. He is our rear guard.  He is the wall of fire around us and the glory within us.  Indeed, His definition of Himself to us and His definition of who we are to Him are our provision.

When Gabriel appeared and spoke to Mary, it was because there was “The Purpose” that was needed to be fulfilled that changed the course of our life’s existence.  The Messiah was to be born of a Virgin which was prophesied long before and no matter how long it took, at a designated and appointed time, it came to pass.  Why?  Because His Word never fails.  It always has the power to perform itself when received, mixed with faith.  Once His Word is released, it will never come back to the One Who spoke it void or empty when it finds a landing strip of faith and expectation in one’s heart.

God spoke the world into existence and until now it is still sustained by the same Word of His power.   When God said, “Let there be light!”, light existed in an instant.  The whole world trembles in submission to His Word, except man who was given the gift of free will.   Why did the fig tree dry up to its roots speedily when Jesus cursed it?  It’s because it is God’s creation that does not have the will to oppose what has been declared over it.

But man was created uniquely and beautifully.  God did not create robots that will just automatically do what He says.  What He desires is for us to have an intimate relationship with Him where our deep revelatory and experiential knowledge of Him will birth love, trust and confidence that will cause us to voluntarily submit and obey His Word because we know that He loves us deeply and that His plans for us are good, never to harm us, but to give us hope and an expected end. 

One day I happened to meet with a good friend who is into networking business.  She came to the house, not to talk about it but simply to fellowship.  All the while she knew that I was not at any rate interested in it, thus, she never invited me into it. 

But, while we were fellowshipping, all of a sudden I caught myself asking about her business.  It was so fast that in a span of approximately ten minutes I made a decision to join and that, too, took the highest registration package.  Oh how it bypassed my mind.  It was simply a flow.  The unction in my heart was so strong that I couldn’t bear to resist it.

After a few days when everything began to sink in, I asked myself, “Why I did I join, Lord?”  I had no clue about how networking works.  I joined a few times in the past but did nothing at all, thus, they were all failures.  But, the first thing that the Lord prompted me to do was to forget the past.

“Do not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert.”  (Isaiah 43:18-19)

To be anchored in past failed experiences will never make us move forward.  It is time to start new and fresh.  If things did not work out in the past is because I honestly did not do anything.  No one else was to be blamed for and I, too, needed to forgive my own self, wash the past with the Precious Blood of Jesus so it can be rendered powerless and no longer have the power to resurrect to haunt me with guilt and condemnation.  I believe that that first step was the most important thing to do to be able start right.

When we are postured to do a new thing, we need to learn new ways.  Knowledge is power.  His Word says, “People perish due to lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6).  When we reject or forget knowledge, it does not do us any good either.  Humility is vital to be able to be filled with what is new and fresh that comes from the trainings and webinars.  Equipping ourselves is likened to an athlete training for competition, an army training for battle or even a farmer for plantation. Nothing is automatic.  If one wants to be a doctor, a lawyer, a pilot or whatever profession, he or she needs to study for years to be equipped with knowledge and practice. Learning is an everyday process.  Until what we are studying becomes a part of us, we are not yet ready to face challenges, rejections and oppositions along the way.  When we become one with what we are doing, we become unstoppable.

What then is the hidden purpose why I joined?  99.99% of those who hopped in into this boat is for each one’s family’s financial stability.  It is to have a breakthrough in provision and time-freedom  from an eight-to-five work schedule.  Yes, I agree with all of them, but it seems like there was still a deeper agenda that the Lord was about to unveil.  I still have not tapped into the very purpose that will cause a relentless pursuit in me when faced with insurmountable oppositions.

Indeed, where there is no vision, people perish (Proverbs 29:18). If we live our lives in the by and by, full satisfaction can never be attained.  The fire within us needs to be ignited to be able move forward in a steadfast way, not by our own strength, but purely because once He has spoken our purpose, His Word never fails. 

So, one day, as I was asking for my “deepest why”, a very strong prompting in my heart came bursting. 

I have been in an online Bible School for the past three and a half years and has been granted partial scholarships every step of the way by the school.  Partial, as we all know, means a portion needs to be taken care of from my side.  But God Who is rich in mercy and abounding in love I believe saw my hunger and thirst for the Word, to be equipped along the way that I may be able to diffuse the fragrance of Who He is, His love, His goodness, His grace, His favor, His provision, His mercy and countless more of His divine nature, that there were people He called and positioned to financially support my endeavor.  Great is His faithfulness that my course was fully provided for beyond my comprehension.  It was effortlessly laid out and perfectly on time.  All glory and praise to our God Who is most worthy. 

Now that I’m done studying, He prompted me to be a sponsor for the Scholarship Program in the same Bible School, to equip others who have the same passion as mine.  And I said, “YES”, without hesitation.  Is it a leap of faith? Yes!  If I had not joined this networking business, I most likely won’t have the extras to do this extra mile.  But He knows all things.  He knows the end from the beginning.  Oh how He goes before us, leading us in the way where we have not been and our part is to fully trust Him that His thoughts and ways are higher than ours.

Four days later from the time I said, “YES”, I received an email from my Bible School.  Guess what it was?  Hmmmm … It was an invitation for me to be a sponsor for the Scholarship Program.  Did I say “YES”?  Definitely, “YES”!  I may not know how this would all come about, but all I know is that when the Lord calls us to do something, we are never left on our own to fulfill it.  It is Who busies Himself with our every step.  It is He Who is all the while working behind the scenes.

“[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.” (Philippians 2:13 AMPC)

With this purpose clearly written in my heart and mind, I position myself with expectations every day as to what’s His next step will be, who He is bringing in to be a part of my team.  If a rejection comes, He soothes my heart by saying, “He or she is not part of the building I Am building you.  I Am the Builder and you will be built.”

We live because He speaks.  It is His personally spoken Word that is spirit and life to us which gives health to our flesh and strength to our bones.  His Word is the light upon our path and the lamp upon our feet.  It is His Word that lights every corner of darkness.  It is His Word that opens the door when a door of limitation hinders us from moving forward.  It is all about Him, Christ in us, the Hope of glory, Who lives His life in and through us.  We are His hands and feet.  We are His mouthpieces that declare and proclaim His goodness.  We are His eyes that zeros in to those who are in need. We are His living temples of His Spirit here on earth for Him to move.

In addition to the specific purpose that He unveiled before my eyes, other purposes come along as I journey in this networking business, by being reconnected with friends from yesteryears that I end up uplifting and encouraging without mentioning a word from this business.  Our personal relationship with those around us still comes as a priority that may possibly give birth to being business partners, but it is not as a necessity.  It is in here where another gateway, another platform is being opened for me to share the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness.  Praise God.

Bottomline is, it is His purpose that prevails.  It is He Who orders our every step and He gave us His Word as the discerner of the intents of our hearts.  It is His love that fuels our hearts to reach out to those He already positioned to be in our path and be a light in someone’s darkness. 

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
    therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.
 Again I will build you, and you shall be built.”  (Jeremiah 31:3-4)

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank You, for Your plan and Your purpose for me that only Your can bring it to pass.  Thank You that Your grace is sufficient and Your strength is made perfect for my weaknesses.  Thank You, Jesus, for being the Word made flesh and dwelt among us.  Because of Your finished work, we shall finish strong and be who You called us to be as love-diffusers, for this is the evidence that we belong to You when we love one another.  Thank You, Holy Spirit, for leading us the way and revealing to us what’s next, for You know all things, the deep things of God and transmit them to us.  We rest and trust in You for it is not by might nor by power, but by Your Spirit, O God.  Amen!