“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19

God’s commitment to guide you will be of no value if you are not willing to be guided. This is the other aspect of divine direction. It is good to know that God is committed to leading you. However, it is necessary that you desire to be guided by Him.

This is also why many men suffer today. They are men who rely solely on themselves. They trust themselves so much that they have ended up missing God. We often forget that our ways are not His, nor are His thoughts ours. There are things you might want to do today that unfortunately do not align with His thoughts for you. This is precisely why you should seek divine direction. You should seek to understand His thoughts for you because your security lies in God, not in yourself!

In 1990, we went to Japan for a mission, by invitation. From what we saw, it was evident that the need for the gospel was glaring in that country. When I saw the spiritual depravity of the people, my heart longed to spark a revival in that part of the world. During my message, the interpreter burst into tears because she had never heard such words before.

The Mayor’s wife was at this meeting, and a key member of the Japanese government was healed. You can imagine the ripple effect this had throughout the country. It was clear that our ministry was wanted and needed in the country. Land was graciously given to us. So I thought to myself, “Why not? We can also be there!” Then I said to God, “Lord, here is a place where what we preach is requested.”

One of the pastors who accompanied me was supposed to return there on a pre-evangelism mission. On the plane back home, we spent over thirteen hours laying out all the plans. We even discussed the courses to teach at the Bible school! Everything seemed ready. But when we arrived in Nigeria, God said to me, “Even though there is a need in Japan, you are not the one I will send there.” As soon as He said that, I immediately canceled all the plans and preparations we had made earlier because there is no regret in following a divine plan.

That is why Jesus said, “…Follow me, and I will make of you…” He knows that your establishment on earth is guaranteed to the extent of your diligence in following Him. People may mock you as you follow Him, but God will establish you in the end. Speaking in John 12, Jesus said:

“If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” John 12:26

Honor is reserved only for those who allow themselves to be guided by God. People may pity you at first. But in the end, you will become a man to envy. When God called me into this ministry, I decided to follow Him full-time. A group of concerned friends gathered to pray for me. Given that most pastors at the time were in part-time ministry, and I was leaving my job to engage full-time, they thought I would have a problem somewhere. They believed I would starve. I only heard about this when a member of that team married a friend and recounted the whole story to me. But today, my testimony is far from starving.

When you submit to God’s direction, He leads you into glory and honor, not shame and desolation.

This text is an excerpt from the book “Understanding Divine Direction” written by David O. Oyedepo.

We invite you to read the following article “ Divine Instruction.”

Be Guided