I want to preach in Rome", and I bet you if we could go back a couple of thousand years ago and think what Paul thought, Paul would think, "I'll go to Rome and I'll rent the coliseum, have a giant crusade, hand out flyers and I'll be able to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thousands will be saved", because Paul, he was a Type A personality. He was a people-person. People really meant something to him because he knew Christ. But God had a different agenda, didn't He? Yes, Paul went to Rome, but after he'd been shipwrecked and he went to Rome in chains and he was in prison.
You're saying, "Wait a minute, Ed. You're talking about God has a better outline for the Apostle Paul, a better outline for my life. How can that be a better outline for Paul to be stuck in Fulsom Prison in Rome? How could that be?" Well here's a guy, he's hyperactive, he's fired up, he's brilliant, he's going this way and that way. God allowed him to go to prison to settle him down, to get alone and to write much of the New Testament. Which would have had a greater impact? The Apostle Paul speaking at a crusade two or three months but the words would never have been written down, or the Apostle Paul, being alone in prison, writing and collecting his thoughts, being quiet before the Lord, letting the Holy Spirit inspire him to write the infallible Word of God. So we come to the Lord..."God, you have a different outlook. God, you have a different outline for me", but don't try to force your outline on God. Exchange your outline for the Master Outline.
Then it gets better. There's another reason why God says "no". Often times He has a greater outcome for our lives for a situation. He has a different outlook, He has a different outline, also a different outcome. Let's look now at Isaiah 46:10, the last couple of phrases in Isaiah 46:10. If you don't have paper clips like I do, just write the verses down. People say, "How do you turn so quickly?" These paper clips, see? What's bad is sometimes when the paper clips stick and I'm reading in Genesis when I should be in Isaiah, but Isaiah 46:10, the last part says, "My purpose", God speaking, "My purpose will stand".
Ed Young Pastor shared the biblical principle, God's purpose is greater than any problem. My purpose will stand.
