That Time I Shortcut God, and What Happened
It’s so much better when it comes God’s way.
There will always be things that we want and deals to be had, but we should never shortcut God and let the desire of the moment jeopardize our future.
Years ago, Gary and I won a trip to Acapulco, Mexico through a business endeavor. The trip didn’t include free airfare.
We were in the process of learning about faith, so I prayed for the money for the airline tickets.
Wouldn’t you know it—just before the deadline, a random offer came in the mail from a finance company. It said all we had to do was call and activate the offer, and then we could use it to buy our tickets.
I thought: This MUST be God!
Of course, I’d like to say that Gary and I had a divine revelation and said no to the whopping 28% credit option, but with the lure of the trip and a lack of understanding concerning God’s Kingdom, we activated the offer and packed our bags.
We should never shortcut God.
It was a terrible trip.
Once we got to Acapulco, Gary was so nervous neither of us could relax. He was preoccupied and checked our accounts every morning to make sure we weren’t bouncing checks. I was physically ill during part of the trip.
To add to our tension, there was political unrest in Acapulco at the time, and ARMED GUARDS walked the beaches with machine guns!
Then, when it was time to go home, we discovered there was a tariff to leave Mexico. We had to borrow the money from someone just to get out of there!
We couldn’t have been happier to get home. When our flight landed in Texas, Gary said, “I could kiss the ground!”
So many times we ask God for things we aren’t ready to receive, and without considering the consequences of our decisions.
We take a shortcut and use a questionable method that violates God’s principles.
Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. – 2 Corinthians 11:14
Just because we’ve prayed for something and an answer seems to appear doesn’t mean it’s God’s plan.
I love John 15 in the Bible and, in particular, verse 7:
If you remain [abide] in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you. This is my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
We must learn to “abide in Christ,” to LISTEN as we pray and come to know His voice and His ways.
Then we’ll no longer be tossed to and fro by every circumstance of life… and every credit offer.
We had to face the consequences.
It took us several years to pay off the loan for those airline tickets. The problem wasn’t the destination, but the manner in which we got there! God wants to give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4), but unless we abide in Him those desires can turn into traps that mimic our prayers.
Gary and I learned God’s ways and eventually became debt free, went and stayed at that same resort, and enjoyed a very memorable time with great friends.
The difference? The second time we went, we were abiding with God.
There will always be things that we want and deals to be had, but we should never shortcut God and let the desire of the moment jeopardize our future.
Keep your dreams and desires in check until it’s God’s correct timing.
Pray about the things you want, and be patient. Then, watch and have fun as it comes through God’s way!
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