Plan B, Not Originally God's Plan
What has God not ordained for you? Those are the curses. Many things happen to Christians, and we assume these events are within God's plan for them, when in fact, they are Plan B, not God's original plan. We see many Christians wandering in the wilderness for forty years, only to perish there. They say, Jehovah is the God who caused us to die in the wilderness. Our forty years in the wilderness are God's good intention and His plan for us.
But that is not the case. God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, just as our God liberates us from the bondage of the world, hoping to quickly lead us to the Promised Land. However, in many cases, this does not happen; instead, we die in the wilderness. This is not God's plan; it is outside of His plan. After wandering in the wilderness for nearly forty years, Moses leads the Israelites to make a covenant with God again.
These are the words of the covenant the LORD commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in Moab, in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb. Deuteronomy 29:1
Originally, God has a wonderful intention for us, to bring us to Canaan, to the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey, so we can live prosperous lives. But the outcome is not a choice God can make for you. That is, you and I must make a choice: whether you want to enter God's Plan A for you. Plan A is a blessed plan. When God made a covenant with the Israelites at Horeb, He hoped to bring them to the Promised Land soon. However, before reaching the Promised Land, ten spies were sent back to give a report, and the entire Israelite camp was filled with complaints. They complained, Why has God delivered us to the enemy to die in that place? Why did He bring us out? We want to return to Egypt as slaves. What a tragic thing!
What is Plan B?
On our path to establishing a church, we are very grateful that many brothers and sisters have received great grace and blessings, directly entering into God's plan to bless us. God's plan to bless us is real. However, regrettably, many people are unable to enter Plan A, the blessed plan. Many people get lost and wander away on this path; they enter into Plan B. Deuteronomy chapter 29 clearly tells us that this was not ordained by Jehovah; Jehovah's original plan was to bring us into blessing. But halfway there, people choose not to follow God. What a regrettable thing!
Some time ago, a brother was very pitiful. Ten years ago, he contracted nasopharyngeal carcinoma. After chemotherapy, he could not eat and had to have a hole in his stomach to inject liquid food. Ten years have passed, and he still believes this is what God gave him. His wife also contracted cancer, and their child is only a teenager. A kind brother brought him to my office to find me. I explained to him, but I could not get through to him. He simply believes these are blessings from God in disguise. I have never read about these things in the Bible. Where does his faith come from? I was very shocked. Later, I really could not minister to him anymore, but I have a hidden regret in my heart: people do not know that God's intention for us is originally a good intention, because the thoughts and intentions of people’s minds resist God. They say these are God's plans for them, but in their minds, there is no Mingding Destiny; they are just living day to day.
Therefore, we must constantly promote Mingding Destiny today, because blessings are in Mingding Destiny. A person living a small life quickly enters into curses, quickly enters into Plan B, the covenant God made with the Israelites in Moab. That is not God's original intention for us; it is because we cannot choose to keep Jehovah's statutes, ordinances, and commandments. Why do people do this?
Because people have created many idols for themselves. These idols may be your work, your business, gold and silver treasures, your small life, your family, your good love. We do not know that we humans are living in this world for God. If you are living in this world for God, you will not enter Plan B. What is this Plan B?
All the nations will ask: Why has the LORD done this to this land? Why this fierce, burning anger? And the answer will be: It is because this people abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, the covenant he made with them when he brought them out of Egypt. They went off and worshiped other gods and bowed down to them, gods they did not know, gods he had not given them. Therefore the LORD’s anger burned against this land, so that he brought on it all the curses written in this book. In furious anger and in great wrath the LORD uprooted them from their land and thrust them into another land, as it is now. Deuteronomy 29:24-28
Forsaking God Is Choosing Plan B
Therefore, I have great hope in my heart: our brothers and sisters must not fall into idolatry. Do not treat your work, your family, your children, your business as idols. People must know that if we enter into the covenant God made with us, it is a blessed covenant. What is that covenant? We will be God's people, and He will be our God. Can you live a bad life? Impossible. You will definitely live a good life! Therefore, our brothers and sisters must begin to know today that when you just begin to stray from God, nothing will happen; everything seems to be fine. But you begin to worship idols and offend God.
Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison. When such a person hears the terms of this oath, he invokes a blessing on himself and therefore thinks, ‘I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way.’ This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry. Deuteronomy 29:18-19
I find this matter very interesting. Many people forsake God. Some people say, Teacher, I am leaving the church, don't worry, I still have Mingding Destiny. I don't want to think that leaving our church will cause you to lose Mingding Destiny, or that you will not have Mingding Destiny in another church. I don't think so either. But what is the problem? The problem is, is that what’s in your heart? If you really hold on to Mingding Destiny in your heart, you will be the same wherever you go; you will have Mingding Destiny wherever you go. But if you want to live a small life in your heart, you will treat your small life as an idol to worship. You will still feel that your small life is going well, but that is because Jehovah's anger has not yet been unleashed. It will not be good when it is unleashed; they will be pierced by their own sorrows and their own idols.
Therefore, I do not want everyone to have this kind of fluke mentality. Many corrupt officials have a fluke mentality when they are greedy. They feel good at the time, but it is too late when things come to pass. Therefore, our brothers and sisters must come out of this fluke mentality. If a person has a fluke mentality, it is difficult for you to walk the path of serving God, because there is something very wonderful about serving God: if you choose to have Mingding Destiny today, you may not be blessed tomorrow. You may have to wait for a while to be blessed. But if you do not have Mingding Destiny today, you may not encounter disaster tomorrow; you may have to wait for a long time to encounter disaster. But when disaster comes, it is almost impossible to reverse it. Therefore, our brothers and sisters must understand today that this is the mystery of God.
The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. Deuteronomy 29:29
Why does it take a while? That is because God calls us to follow all the words of this law. Therefore, brothers and sisters, there are some things I must tell you: when you plant something, it will take some time to grow. When you plant it, in fact, when you look at it the next day, nothing will happen; it still looks the same. But you must know in your heart that it will surely grow and bear fruit.
The Concepts of Blessings and Curses
What you sow, you reap. This is a spiritual principle in the Bible and a mystery of God Jehovah, allowing us to fear God. In the Book of Genesis, Esau and Jacob present a stark contrast. Jacob, in his eagerness to obtain the birthright and blessing, schemed to deceive his father. Having obtained it, he was left with only a staff in his hand. Twenty years later, when Jacob returned to Canaan from his uncle Laban’s house, his brother was still thriving, with four hundred soldiers at his command. Esau had more than Abraham’s three hundred and eighteen men! How could this be considered a curse? Was he not enjoying the dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth? Then, Esau rode out with four hundred soldiers to kill Jacob. Suddenly, he began to contemplate the curse. What is a curse? And what is a blessing? I am doing quite well. My brother, who deceived me for the blessing, is limping and seems to be in dire straits. He has come to see me. Let bygones be bygones. What blessing or curse is there between brothers?
Brothers and sisters, is your vision as short-sighted as Esau's? You may see many people living under a curse, living in God’s Plan B, and think they are doing just fine. Some might say to me, does following you guarantee blessings? I see those who have left the church, appearing neither to believe nor disbelieve, living prosperous and successful lives. Why can't people look at things from God's throne? Your perspective is too short. Over time, God's plan of blessing for them will depart, and the plan of cursing will befall them, making it almost impossible to reverse. You may not fear God, but I do. What I do today is not for any other reason than that I do not want to enter into a curse. God is so formidable. When the Israelites sinned, God gave them over two hundred years before the nation was destroyed. When the people of Judah sinned, they lasted over three hundred years. You might think, what does this have to do with me? Two or three hundred years is someone else's business, not mine. But do not think that way. People without a concept of eternal life only see this life and see it confusedly. The spiritual realm is so real. Not only must you see God's miraculous acts while alive, but you must also witness many curses coming to pass. Today, should people not open their eyes to see God’s great tests, great miracles, and great revelations?
Yet to this day the Lord has not given you a mind to understand, eyes to see, or ears to hear. Deuteronomy 29:4
So today, let us not harden our hearts like those who know they have offended God and still harbor侥幸 (侥幸)心理, with minds that cannot understand, eyes that cannot see, and ears that hear but do not comprehend. This is a tragedy.
I led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes did not wear out, nor did your sandals on your feet. You ate no bread and drank no wine or other fermented drink. I did this so that you might know that I am the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 29:5-6
Many people still live just to live, which in itself is a tragedy. Let us begin to change our perspective. Although Jacob went to his uncle Laban’s house with only a staff, he later became wealthy, leading a large company of people. But can it be compared to his brother’s strength? It should not be compared that way. Jacob’s thoughts and intentions were focused on eternity, while Esau’s were focused on this life. If you use the logic of this life, you will be very confused. You will not understand why those who are blessed seem to do worse than those who are not. This is living in the logic of this life, without any hope. What will you gain when you leave this world?
Living only for this life is a sorrow. The New Testament also says that if you are a Christian and have hope only in this life, you are more pitiable than all men. We must know that it is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. If they live in the flesh, are they not more pitiable than the world?
All nations will ask: Why has the Lord done this to this land? Why this fierce, burning anger?' And the answer will be: It is because this people abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the covenant he made with them when he brought them out of Egypt. They went off and worshiped other gods and bowed down to them, gods they did not know, gods he had not given them.' (Deuteronomy 29:24-26)
Today You Must Make a Choice
Will you decide today to enter Plan A or Plan B, to be blessed or cursed, to live in this life without hope or in eternal life with hope? Will you see things with spiritual eyes or with worldly eyes? You must make a choice. We are in this world, and it is easy to enter Plan B feeling the emptiness of emptiness. The world is full of temptations and deceptions. When we see people following us in some religious activities within the logic of this life, that cannot replace the hope of eternal life within you. If you only live in this life, you are in an extremely dangerous state. Any temptation can lead you away from God, and you may even live better when you leave God. However, when disaster strikes, you have no ability to resist.
Today, I encourage everyone to read Deuteronomy 29, so that you will know that blessing follows those with Mingding Destiny, those who offer their lives as a price because they live in the logic of eternity. Once you have the logic of eternity, you will no longer place your hope in this world, and you will not care about life or death. You will live in eternity today, living forever and ever. Even when we leave our bodies, we return to God, which is a wonderful thing. If we do not fear death, we fear nothing. We will live happily and joyfully. This is the logic of eternity, knowing that one day it will surely come to pass, and we will stand before God to receive our reward. Such faith brings you spiritual strength, and the result of a person's life is the result of their heart.
Conclusion
If you have Mingding Destiny in your heart, nothing can deprive you of your destiny, and your life will be full of joy, entering into eternity. Today, if you are sorrowful for various things, then it will be a life of sorrow. Why are people sorrowful? Because they want to cling tightly to the things of this world, and many things are prickly and heart-wrenching. Recognize the essence of life, open your spiritual eyes, and begin to see the signs and wonders that God is performing among us. Let us know that it is the Spirit who gives life, and do not pursue the flesh. Begin to understand what we are doing, being Christians, meeting God in eternity. Sooner or later makes no difference to us. When you think this way, you will see that the goals you pursue are completely changed.
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 2 Corinthians 4:17