Permissive but not Perfect

The theme for this month was inspired by a service I was told to anchor in church on one of the days in April. It so happened that Bounce Back was what came to my heart as I prepared, and while I rounded up my preparations, the story of the Prodigal son came to my heart and that was when it all clicked.

Throughout the month, we will pick vital lessons from this story. It carries a lot of insight for our walk with God.

When I was 14 years of old, I felt as though I had arrived, I was a teenager after all. My voice had already started getting deep, had some strands of beard coming out from my chin, and I was about the same height as my mother. I felt I had my own life to live and could take decisions on my own. Was I right? Certainly not, but I felt so. In many ways, we are like this as believers, we feel that we have reached certain heights and can demand certain things from God because it is "our right." Yes, they are our right, but we may not be ripe to receive them.

Do you know that the prodigal son was just like that? He felt that he had come of age, that he could now handle what belonged to him, therefore he made a request for his inheritance which was supposed to come to him much later.

Now see this: For the fact that God grants you your wish doesn't mean that is His perfect will for you. It is not enough to pray according to God's will, rather we are to discover God's will then pray it out to manifestation. What you ask according to God's will may just be His permissive will and not His perfect will for you.

Yes, John mentioned that when we pray according to God's will He hears us, fine! But we must go a step ahead to discover the will of God first before we pray that will. His perfect will is always perfect for us.

It is good to know what is freely given to us of God, but it is better to know when to access them and how God wants us to access them. Many times we fall into traps because of our own desires to get certain things.

For the fact that God permitted that relationship doesn't mean it is perfect, for the fact that you got that high-paying job doesn't mean it aligns to God's plan for your life, the list goes on.

Paul completes this by saying, "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is" (Eph 5:17, KJV).

Get out of permission into perfection.

I hope this blesses someone tonight

Prayer:

Lord, help me to understand your perfect will and bring me into its fullness in Jesus name.

Oluwatobi Adesanya
For Daily Dealings Youth Devotional