There Is A Way Which Seems Right To A Man

"There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death." Proverbs 14:12

One of the hardest lessons to learn is how the ways of the spirit are often opposite to the natural. God tends to do things that look backward at first.

We think promotion looks like visibility. God invites you into surrender.

We think significance looks like being noticed. God invites you to become trustworthy with just a little.

We think POWER is being able to control. God invites you to control nothing but your attitude.

The problem with promotion is rarely the promotion itself but rather what we expect it to look like.

It should be said that I am just like you... I wrestle between the instincts I was programmed with and the instincts of the spirit - these two do not always agree.

I know what it is like to go low.

Few are willing to relive their darkest moments in the retelling of their story - but I think it is important for you to know that I have lived in the dark and survived it.

I've watched seasons that I loved get cut short prematurely, and then couldn't figure out why they ended. Followed by seasons that never should've started, then lasted longer than they ever should have.

I know what it is like to fail.

I have lost people I never thought I would lose and had to forgive others who never bothered to ask for my forgiveness, just so I could move on.

Looking back, the moments of abandonment and failure and confusion were not what they seemed. I was being trained in the trenches.

The danger for ambitious people is rarely FAILURE - it is significance.

Some of the worst decisions of my life came from a desire to be significant and used by God. My motive was sincere - but sincerity is not an indication of correctness.

You can be sincerely wrong and confuse yourself because you are sincere.

I assumed being used by God would look like importance, visibility, and advancement. But not all significance is from God, and not all visibility is on God's timeline.

Significance is a dangerous master - it can disguise itself as favor, calling, influence - it can convince you that the hand of God is on you when the fruit of your 'significance' does not match the example...

Our example is Jesus...

The Bible says He made himself of no reputation. This violates a lot of PR training.

Imagine having UNLIMITED power and restraining yourself to the humiliations of tabloid gossip. People with 10% of the story loved to talk about him as if they knew him...

"Did you see what Jesus did? They finally got him. He is going to fall. He is nothing."

He never used his power to "set the record straight" and never really participated in it at all. In one story, Scripture says He saw them and "did not commit himself to them, for he knew what was in their hearts" (John 2:23). This means he didn't capitalize on the momentum even when the opinions were favorable.

He claimed no privileges... all of which were within his rights to use. He had the ability to, but chose NOT to. This is rare. And difficult.

And NECESSARY.

He did not manufacture attention or demand recognition. HE did not chase momentum or leverage any controversy.

I love how unmoved He was in all of it.

Culture has pushed us so far from his example... but it was the same back then.

When we are not recognized, or "celebrated" - when we are not given an instant path to promotion, visibility, and ascension, the temptation is to grumble, ruminate, attack, self-promote, and label anyone who doesn't agree with us as "toxic."

There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death.

But Jesus - "assumed the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity" (Phil 2:7) and never drummed up his own fanfare or awards.

There is a secret here...

By the time you are ready to actually be used by God and for God - it will likely feel like being pushed into the front of everything and everyone, somewhat against your will.

By the time you are actually ready, you will be cool with God taking his time for a little bit longer..

Jesus' first documented miracle was a point of tension for him... not because He was afraid - but because He understood timing and assignments.

He understood that once the first domino fell, there was no going back. When you have a full understanding of all this - you begin to love the hiddenness of training seasons.

The most SIGNIFICANT moments of development and positioning all have singular commonalities: they feel the most 'insignificant' in the grand scheme of things.

When I was hidden, ignored... and behind the scenes - this is where the renewal actually happened. The prep started THERE.

These were not all fun times.

These were times when I felt like I'd been forgotten about... that maybe, perhaps - GOD had forgotten me. But looking back, this was the most important time.

Without the training grounds of invisibility, I wouldn't have been able to remain in the colosseum of visibility.

My point in all this is that you would just enjoy your season. Do not rush past it.

Do not despise small beginnings.

And do not build accolades for yourself in the middle to gain the attention of the world before you are ready.

The moments at the top have given me very little in regard to training. My deepest training is all from the trenches - when I felt like I had fumbled the bag… or my mentors had moved on… and the world had become something I did not understand.

Not all of you are in this zone, by the way - some of you are beginning to advance out of this. And some of you are in the front.

The key is to find Jesus... in every situation, every challenge, every victory, and every grand vision - FIND JESUS. The Lord is at your back, behind you, and in front of you... beside you and all around you.

The Lord fights for you and He does not fail.

You do not need a shoutout, a callout, or a manmade system of advancement.

The Lord brings all people and all promotion and all recognition - the partnering is a mystery, but the SOURCE of all peace is the ability to find Jesus, no matter where you are.

Whether you are hidden or visible.

Celebrated or forgotten.

Advancing or WAITING.

There is a way that seems right to the natural, but the end is not what you think it is.

Learn to recognize this, model the example - and stay on the path.

Special Note From Daily Prophetic Words of God: Can we pray for you? The Bible says to confess your faults to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much (makes tremendous power available, dynamic in its working). We endeavor to respond to prayers through email ... submit a request for Prayer or a Prophetic Word here.