THE PREPARATION 1

15 BUT even before I was BORN, GOD CHOSE ME and CALLED ME BY HIS MARVELOUS GRACE. THEN IT PLEASED HIM
16 TO REVEAL HIS SON TO ME so that I would PROCLAIM THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT JESUS to the GENTILES. When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being."
Galatians 1:15–16 (NLT)

• Some did not venture into the assignment which God has for them throughout their lifetime.

• Whatever situation you find yourself, God is using it to prepare you for the purpose He had ordained you for.
• You might not know the full details and reasons at the onset, when you were passing through those things, because we humans know in part (1 Corinthians 13:9-11).
• If you can follow God, you will fully realize whatever He is trying to prepare you for, and you would be glad you did follow and obey Him.

• Some could not fulfil the purpose why they were born on the Earth, because they could not discover the plans which God had for their lives, not to mention being fulfilled in it. Such a thing is called a spiritual abortion!

• The preparations of whoever would be used by God always started from the birth, because It was already ordained from the womb that such would be used for a particular Purpose in God's Programme about His Kingdom on the earth (Jeremiah 1:4,5).
  (i) God will plan, arrange or order, how the person would be led to salvation—being born-again (John 16:13).
  (ii) Then, the person would be led and guided by God in all he or she does. The experience gathered on the way, that is, in the person's walking with God, their Christian journeys; would be used in preparing them for the place He is taking them—their assignments.

• Now, the person may prolong the period of PREPARATION, also known as, the Training period; through his or her stubbornness and disobedience—contumacy or recalcitrancy.

• When you failed to yield, or cooperate with God's plans and programmes for your life; He would have to be patient with you and give you time to wise up and be mature enough to understand whatever He is working out to do in your life.
• Meanwhile, the stubbornness and disobedience would protract the Training period—lengthen, or prolong it.
• The Israelites were in the wilderness for forty years, contrary to God's initial plan for them (Numbers 14:34).
  THEIR Disobedience and objection to God's plan and programme, what He wanted to do, for them; prolonged their journeys and sufferings in the wilderness.
• If you did not agree with whatever God wanted to do in or with your life, that would definitely make you suffer unnecessarily.
• Although, you would eventually come to realize whatever God wanted to do or was trying to do, but the sufferings and the delays could have been avoided, If you yielded or cooperated earlier than you did.
• Albeit, all things work together for good: "AND WE KNOW [with great confidence] THAT GOD [who is deeply concerned about us] CAUSES ALL THINGS TO WORK TOGETHER [as a plan] FOR GOOD FOR THOSE WHO LOVE GOD, TO THOSE WHO ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PLAN AND PURPOSE" (Romans 8:28 AMP).
• All you passed through are meant to prepare you for the great and big assignment which God had purposed for you.
• God usually prepared ahead, whoever He wanted to use, for that specific Purpose which He intended to use the person for.

I. Abraham. God picked out Abraham, called him out to prepare him and raise a nation through him (Genesis 12:1-3), And that a Messiah be born to redeem mankind, and be reconciled to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:18,19)—according to His eternal Purpose or Programme (Ephesians 1:9-11).

• This was accomplished or fulfilled in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:9,11).

II. Joseph. Joseph was permitted to be sold into slavery to be prepared for rulership.

• The roles given him in Potiphar's house and the prison Yard, were used in preparing him for leadership.
• He served in a small capacity at Potiphar's house, and later was moved to the prison for a bigger assignment. He had more people to lead in the prison than the Potiphar's house.
• Joseph's being sold into slavery and being sent into prison were orchestrated by the devil, to hinder or stop the fulfilment of God's plans for his life, but God turned them for good (Genesis 50:20).
• God also permitted it, that he could be sent ahead to Egypt, in order to preserve the posterity of Abraham; because of the Messiah that would come through the lineage (Genesis 45:5,7,8).
• God used those two places, the Potiphar's house and the prison yard, to prepare Joseph for the premiership—leadership.
• Some would not want to serve in small capacities before moving to a bigger PLACE. Whatever would be great always has a small or little beginning.
• God does not start whatever He wanted to do, big. He started the planet Earth by creating one thing per day. All the things He used seven days to create could be created in a day.
  GOD could have said, let there be light, land, animals, and everything be, and all would be at a time. But He did not do that, He was progressive and systematic in the work of creation.
• He taught us the law of progression, through the creation story (Genesis 1:1-2:1).
• We have billions of people in the world today, but God started with a man, later a woman added with the Man, and later their children Cain and Abel (Genesis 1:26; 2:18; 4:1,2).

• Moses. Moses was prepared for eighty years, for his leadership assignment, before he could be used to deliver his people—the Israelites from slavery.

• God did pick him up from childhood and started training him, until he was mature enough to be used (Hebrews 11:24).
• Although, when Moses thought he was mature enough, or ready for the assignment, God knew he was not ripen enough for the work (Acts 7:23-29).
  GOD did allow him to be at the back of the dessert for another forty years, before he satisfied and met the conditions which God expected (Acts 7:29,30).
• It was at that age, 80 years, God sees he was fit or matured enough to be used. The maturity was not about age per SE, but emotionally and character-wise (Acts 7:33-36).

III. David. David was also prepared when he was shepherding his father's flock. He was being prepared for kingship, to lead his people to battles.

• He had encounter with lions and the Bears. His experiences with the Lions and Bears gave him the courage to face Goliath, the Philistine's army (1 Samuel 17:34-37)
• The encounter with those animals were the trainings he had, that prepared him for the battles he fought with Goliath, and subsequently led to his being appointed as one of the captains of Saul's armies (1 Samuel 18:13).
• The whole nation could see God's hand on David's life and knew he would likely be the next King after Saul. In fact, Saul himself knew he had lost the throne to David, when he killed the Philistine, Goliath (1 Samuel 18:12,15,29; 24:16-20).
• If he did not kill the lion and the Bear, he could not have killed Goliath, and could not have escaped the plot of his death, by King Saul.
• He would not have won all the battles he fought. David said: "HE [God] TEACHES MY HANDS TO MAKE WAR, SO THAT MY ARMS can BEND A BOW OF BRONZE" (Psalm 18:34 NKJV).

• Do not despise your little beginning (Job 8:7; 42:12).

• Do not despise the experiences God had taken you through and the ones He is still taking you through.
  GOD allowed you to pass through them, they were the preparations for the place where He wanted to take you.
• If you failed to allow Him to train you as He Wills, you may not fully realize your potentials, and you may not be used as He intended to. Submit to Him for whatever the Training you are to be taken through!

• You will not fail in Jesus' name.

• Whatever is contrary to your health is cursed and uprooted in Jesus' name.
• You are declared free from every oppression of the devil in your body, and your deliverance is permanent in Jesus' name.
  Peace!
  TO BE CONTINUED.