Perhaps the marital mistake I would have made was 20 years ago. I was wrongly inspired to go after a young lady for a kind of relationship. All attempts to make my intention known to her proved abortive as I could not get to see her. It was not long afterwards that God showed me in a revelation that I was making a grave mistake. I thank God for the miracle of divinely ordered stops.
Friend, a lot has been said about divinely ordered steps (Psalms 37:23). But I believe that there is also something as divinely ordered stops (Psalms 17:4). If you have not yet met the God who not only orders your steps but also orders your stops, you have not fully met God. Part of the ways that God leads us is by ordering our stops.
Paul and his team were forbidden to go on a ministry journey that they considered okay (Acts 16:6-7). Listen, good intentions do not equal divine leading. Not everything that is good is God (Proverbs 14:12). A man of God was very passionate about Missions to a particular nation when God told him unequivocally; “Son, even though you are passionate about that nation, I am not sending you there.”
Are there things you are passionate about that God is saying no to? Never confuse passion for direction. We are supposed to find God’s direction and then pour our passion into it (Luke 12:49-50). Passion without direction would kill the unsuspecting. You need to constantly watch out for divinely ordered stops if you would fulfil your destiny safely.
There are times that God would use circumstances to stop you. For Balaam, it would take a dumb ass speaking with man’s voice to forbid the madness of the prophet (2 Peter 2:15-16). For Moses, it would take a rejection from his own people to give him a redirection to what God had next in store for him (Acts 7:22-29).
You need humility to accept when God is stopping you (Psalms 25:9). When God stops you, it is for your good. Some ladies should thank God that their relationship did not work out. What would have happened if Jesus did not stop Saul (Paul) on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-6)? Sometimes, it is not the devil you should bind. It is your ignorance, stubbornness, or lack of sensitivity.
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria