Finding God's plan for me

S

Steve

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Finding God's plan for me

I thank whoever would take the time to provide advice. It's not my intention to waste anyone's time if I didn't think it was necessary.

I wish to first provide some background simply for my question to make proper sense. I never had any serious exposure to christianity or seriously considered christianity in any way until a few years ago. Almost everyone around me in my childhood remarked that I was silent and cried too much, and, everyone around me in my youth remarked that I took everything too seriously. Many of the common things in life seemed silly or immature to me. I've never had a girlfriend or kissed anyone, or felt very motivated to interact with anyone besides my parents. Throughout high school I could have been described as withdrawn and self centered. My most enthusiastic daily efforts in high school were spent asking my self the common and eternal questions of mortality, with pages of notes detailing my own thoughts.

Long story short, I received enough exposure since graduating high school from the internet, and other sources, to realize that the social doubts I had felt had been felt a million times before, that the feelings I had, which I felt I needed to keep hidden, had already been systematically explored, and I wish to say that the beauty of christ's path can only be truly felt by those who have never seen it.

To catch up with the present day and my questions, I am in my senior year of getting a BSBA in accounting. When I had graduated high school, going to college -- or even leaving my room -- didn't make any sense to me.

There's no need to discuss the internal turmoil of this transition, but within my first year at college I found that not only did life have meaning, but that I should actively be searching for how I should follow christ's example.

Already for a few years now, it has been my plan to join the US army audit agency after graduating with my bachelor's degree or perhaps master's, locate myself with the army in korea a few years later when I qualified, and give salary, inheritances, and anything more than what a friar would keep to the korean people.

This has been a convenient plan to keep me going through the years at college, but I am at the point where I am making serious commitments of future employment to the army audit agency. I feel a person's line of work may be the most important decision they make and it's a decision I don't feel like I can share with anyone in the way that I would want to.

I recently made a painful and outbursting admission of this plan to a korean friend of mine, looking for answers to questions that I should not ask of them, expect them to know, or that they would even want to hear from me. It is in my interest and the interest of those around me to find a proper channel to receive answers.

Right when this plan is coming to fruition, I feel doubts about its validity.

PROS
As a federal agency, I see it as a public service that shouldn't be left to those motivated by wages or benefits. I feel the beginning of the end is when the army is a place filled with people without conviction, passion, or moral guidance.

It is one of the few positions that allows a person to provide direct benefits to impoverished areas while fully utilizing a professional degree since most of the army's conflicts take place in developing countries.

CONS
I am often torn over what christ would say of an army's purpose and mission. I take some inspiration from early monastic and crusading orders and perhaps I do so wrongly. I would travel there for peace, personal sacrifice, and closeness to christ, not for war and killing or imposing a nation's will. However, it is a subject I'm still not certain about.

I'm not certain if Christ would ever go through college at all. I'm torn on whether, even if he did have a degree, if he would simply be doing volunteer work in the truly impoverished sections of africa.

There are two attractive alternatives to the plan I have now which I have a hard time ruling out. There are auditors who travel to places like china to audit McDonald's chains and other international corporations. This job would likely have a higher salary which could be given to an even more impoverished population in which christ's word is very foreign. The cloistering of an army base is appealing to me but there may be more glory in maintaining virtue without it. Assuring the operations of korea's army is a job with true purpose that auditing McDonald's chains could never match but perhaps christ would choose the job at McDonald's.

Although I feel no bond to any one person or place besides christ in heaven, there is nothing to say that I might not stay locally, take advantage of the places and routines I am already familiar with, do CPA work at a local firm, and send the funds to whatever charity I wish. It certainly seems like the humble alternative compared to all this international flying around. It may even pay the same amount as the army auditing position.

I will monitor this post and continue the discussion. Thank you for any commentary. I do indeed wish to hear this from people with an understanding of christ. Almost anyone would have more experience on the subject than I have.
 
Hi Steve welcome to CFS! Jesus , His disciples nor His Word ever condemn a soldier for doing his duty.
That being said I can only offer you this;
We seek God for many things but if we but seek Him first; if we but spend the time entering into His presence His will and purpose for our lives will become clear.
Spend time in prayer- learn to talk to Him.
Spend time in worship- pour out your heart and He will come, fill your life and transform you with each touch.
Spend time in His Word with the help of the Holy Spirit whom the Father sent to be our Teacher, guide, Comforter and so much more.
I firmly believe that if you will do these things you Will get a peace in your spirit about the right direction to take.
Many blessings in Jesus wonderful Name,
your brother in Christ, Larry.
 
Your young. Give it time.

What your asking is about the Ability to hear from God and what God desires for you.

What you may not realize that as a Christian you already have the answer.

While hearing from God may not always be a burning bush with full surround sound, what we can rely on is what the Spirit has already put in our heart. Everyone has a plan they must follow and it will take faith to follow it.

My best advice is to stop weighing the pro's and cons of something and never be money led. God is not going to lead you into a broke place. Being where God has designed you to be is the best place and a place of safety.

The Holy Ghost leads by "What seems right." This is the best way to be led in the correct direction when given two choices. If it is God you will have peace about that direction you will feel a certain check in your heart if you are going to choose the WRONG direction. A small stop sign inside you.
Once you get use to listening to these and obeying them, that will allow God to talk with you on a much larger scale as he would never have you be confused if it's him, the devil or late night pizza.

What do you have peace about?

There are a few Good books on being led by the Spirit of God.

How to be led by the Spirit of God by Kenneth Hagin. Google it.

and a Pastor in Branson, MO has some free downloads that you can grab on being led by the Spirit. Look up Keith Moore in Google then find the free material. I don't think he charges for anything if you want it sent in CD form.

These things have helped me really understand about getting direction and hearing from God.

Be blessed.
 
You know, that is something I've heard echoed, whether in a christian context or not, to follow passion in work foremost. I've found this is honestly a lesson that is very hard to remember for people during and after college who, most of the time, would enter college in search of the salary and who are often bogged down in technical details and routines. More to the point, it seems difficult to maintain passion with those types of careers.

Your sentiment is a sentiment I believe I share and I thank you for your reply. This, in particular, is purely the truth:

"My best advice is to stop weighing the pro's and cons of something and never be money led. God is not going to lead you into a broke place. Being where God has designed you to be is the best place and a place of safety."

I don't feel I lack the information necessary to make a correct decision or even suffer from much doubt, but it often seems like a lonely pursuit at all points in time and so I suppose I'm glad there is a place such as this to share freely. Drawing all of one's sustenance from God is a discipline that I still feel I am in a struggle to achieve and maintain. I would wish to be able to do so at a level above what I seem able to do now.
 
I agree with the others. It is not a decision for you to make based on facts, pros, or cons. It does not matter where the most money lies. What matters is the direction of the Lord. Put all other thoughts aside and focus on what HE wants. Allow Him to guide you through His Word and His still small voice. He will point you in the right direction.
 
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