“My thoughts,” says the Lord, “are not like yours, and my ways are different from yours. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways and thoughts above yours” (Isa 55:8-9 GNV).

Living life to its fullest is the dream of every human being. Personal ambition can be a major obstacle to God’s purpose for our lives. There is something about God’s plan that over-rides our selfish ambitions. This was my personal experience. Perhaps we all share in this common dilemma.
 
Maybe you have at some time wished to become, say, a medical doctor but ended up becoming a movie maker? Or a lawyer and now you are a preacher of the gospel? Or an engineer, but now a classroom teacher! If this is the case, then your experience is similar to mine.
 
Jeremiah was a young man when God interrupted his personal ambition. He complained bitterly of being too young for undertaking such a daunting task. A task that only God could ask of him. We don’t know exactly what Jeremiah planned to do with his life, but nevertheless, God invaded his thoughts and made him a preacher and prophet to the nations. Likewise, Moses had the spirit of a fighter and a deliverer. Little did he know that this was God’s plan and purpose for him, even though he made the wrong move at first.  This was before God called him into his assignment of a deliverer. He struggled and resisted the idea with very poor excuses, but God’s plans prevailed and finally, Moses took up the challenge.
 
My Story
Like every young man, I grew up with the ambition to become a great man and had my plans on how to make this happen, with or without God. As life in my country, Nigeria, was full of uncertainty, especially with unemployment and a harsh economy, everyone, especially the youth, looked to find the quickest way to get out of this web.
 
My simple idea was to be enlisted in the Armed Forces. Admission into the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) was the most lucrative adventure at that time for many young men (in the 80s and 90s) because it assured them of immediate employment. The constant coups and counter coups by the military at the time disrupted our democracy and allowed men in uniform to live like kings. This held great appeal to the youth.
 
So, I worked very hard as a student to ensure my secondary school certificate was successful at the first sitting, which it was, thankfully, as I needed a good grade for acceptance into the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA).
 
Immediately, I purchased the application form and sat for the entry examination with the great hope that I would be shortlisted for an interview. The list of successful candidates was published in the national daily papers, but my name was missing. I didn’t give up!
 
The following year, I purchased another application form and sat for the entry examination with a higher expectation for success. I even had night visions assuring me that I would be accepted.
 
In my night visions, I would find myself in the officers’ mess dressed in full army uniform. Other times, I found myself in a big hall full of cadets and I was sitting right in their midst to hear the lectures. So, I believed it was a settled issue and I began to prepare myself to be admitted. I sincerely and constantly prayed to God that I would be successful, but I didn’t care to ask Him if this was my will or His Will.
 
Alas! The list of successful candidates was published again and I was dumbfounded to find my name missing from the list. I was very discouraged but it still hadn’t occurred to me that God was in the whole thing. He was at the centre of it all. God’s plan wasn’t for me to be a Nigerian Army Officer but a soldier in His Kingdom’s army.
 
In the midst of this struggle, I encountered the Lord Jesus. He found me and little by little His Kingdom purpose for my life began to unfold. Gradually my understanding of eternity resonated as I started to taste the things of God. So much excitement came into my heart that I was happy to serve in any way I could just for the purpose of the Kingdom. I no longer had the desire for a career in the military. The fear of unemployment disappeared into thin air. I felt the joy and happiness of working for God.
 
One day, I found the passage of Scripture which brought permanent rest to my soul – “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Mat. 6:33 KJV). I could hardly believe it. I had to ask God if He truly meant every word of that verse of Scripture. His response to me was in the affirmative – an emphatic YES!  I became more determined to follow through with His thoughts and plans for my life.
 
Even as an undergraduate, I would wake up early in the morning and go out to the streets for the purpose of winning souls. We called it “Morning Cry.” With the assistance of wise and encouraging leaders in the church, I was able to buy a small megaphone to help make my mission of Morning Cry easier. It still never occurred to me that God had enlisted me into His own armed force – as a soldier of Christ! So, gradually I was drafted into the Army of God. Now, looking back on those night visions, I have a better understanding of what they meant.
 
Beloved, are you in any way still struggling with His purpose for your life? Your calling doesn’t have to be the same as mine. Is God calling you to be a classroom teacher – an educator? Or as a care giver in the area of hospitality? Oh… what about politics? God can use you to change the narrative in the governing of your nation!
 
Shalom (Peace),

Pastor Sam Elijah