I am at the marvelous place in life where God is allowing me to meet many, many amazingly talented and gifted people. It is incredible to see and hear the things that God has placed in peoples hearts and many times beyond that, the appointing He places on their lives to fulfill a specific purpose. Most times they toil in anonymity, content in what they are doing, who they are doing it for, driven by what they are accomplishing and joyful in life because they are aligned with the Father’s Will for their life. An indescribably awesome place to be.

I also meet many earnest and wonderful people who have ideas for serving God through some type of ministry or good works that they never seem to quite get up and running. Most times, to great frustration and in some cases, profound sadness. When we talk and I struggle to listen (listening is not my greatest gifting), I often ask how they came up with this idea and urge prayer. Much, much prayer. I ask if this came from a revealing and if so, what they were instructed to do in preparation for this ministry. I ask because I know if we seek and listen, God will make clear His Will, anointing and appointing.

“So the next morning Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and started off with the Moabite officials. But God was angry that Balaam was going, so he sent the angel of the Lord to stand in the road to block his way. As Balaam and two servants were riding along, Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. The donkey bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat it and turned it back onto the road. Then the angel of the Lord stood at a place where the road narrowed between two vineyard walls. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it tried to squeeze by and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam beat the donkey again.  Then the angel of the Lord moved farther down the road and stood in a place too narrow for the donkey to get by at all.  This time when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down under Balaam. In a fit of rage Balaam beat the animal again with his staff.” Numbers 22:21-27 (NLT)

The story of God’s prophet, Balaam, is one of the funniest in the Bible to me. Can you imagine watching a man who is widely recognized and known as God’s vessel, on a road beating, yelling, pleading with his donkey out of frustration and confusion? Balaam was indignant because in his mind he was doing God’s work. He was going to see King Balak to deliver whatever God told him to say to the King. As context, the King wanted Balaam to curse the Israelites before he and his army attacked them. Balaam understood who the Israelites were, God’s chosen people.

“Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent me this message: ‘Look, a vast horde of people has arrived from Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth. Come and curse these people for me. Then perhaps I will be able to stand up to them and drive them from the land.’ But God told Balaam, “Do not go with them. You are not to curse these people, for they have been blessed!” The next morning Balaam got up and told Balak’s officials, “Go on home! The Lord will not let me go with you.” Numbers 22:10-13 (NLT)

So before the donkey beat-down on the road to see the King, God told Balaam not to go with the King’s men. He heard God’s clear voice and instruction and relayed to these men that he would not go with him. All good, right? Wrong! The tenacity of King Balak to have Balaam come showed up and must have triggered within Balaam the sin of ego and arrogance, hidden by thoughts of importance and purpose because ‘the King keeps pinging me to come and give him my wise advice and service.’ Well, maybe Balaam thought something like that. Even though God had already told him not to go.

“Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. “What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?” it asked Balaam. “You have made me look like a fool!” Balaam shouted. “If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!” “But I am the same donkey you have ridden all your life,” the donkey answered. “Have I ever done anything like this before?” “No,” Balaam admitted.  Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him. “Why did you beat your donkey those three times?” the angel of the Lord demanded. “Look, I have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me. Three times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey.” Numbers 22:28-31 (NLT)

For many who know me, I have been a mediocre entrepreneur for decades, achieving modest success in some things and spectacular failure in too many other endeavors. God has blessed me from time to time to work with companies in some form of consultancy, which proves the statement “those who can, do, those who can’t, teach.” If you were to ask me what separates the successful from the unsuccessful ideas, I would say with certainty born out of a lifetime of observation that laser-like focus, the curiosity of a 3 year-old and the flexibility of a gymnast are the variables that separate two very similar ideas and the satisfaction when an idea becomes a reality.

So why do I write this? I urge you to approach life, ideas and effort with laser focus on the Will of the Father. I encourage you to pray without ceasing, continually seeking the Father’s clear direction, unquestionable anointing and the dogged determination to achieve what He has awarded you with. Asking ‘why, how, when, where’ and then circle around and ask again. I encourage you to surrender your ideas to His clear and perfect vision for what He has entrusted to you, recognizing that Satan desires to derail your life by all means necessary, including frustration and confusion of why the Father’s work within you is not succeeding.

Balaam was God’s man. God’s vessel. His anointing and appointing was clear. He understood he was God’s prophet. (BTW, do you ever wonder if God’s prophets today define themselves a ‘profits.’ Ah, I digress.)

“Then Balaam confessed to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned. I didn’t realize you were standing in the road to block my way. I will return home if you are against my going.” But the angel of the Lord told Balaam, “Go with these men, but say only what I tell you to say.” So Balaam went on with Balak’s officials.” Numbers 22:34-35 (NLT)

My encouragement to you today is to never doubt the love of God, nor question His authority and swift and fierce punishment of His children when they/we step outside of His direction, Will and appointing. God sent His angel to kill Balaam for his disobedience. The angel was laser focused in his understanding of what God sent him to do. And even in this, God loved Balaam enough to use his donkey to protect him, to correct him and to carry him.

So, who is your donkey? Who says things that you interpret as blocking your assignment? Who lays down in your path, impeding your ability to do the work that you have told God is important…and for Him? Who has God placed in your life for the specific purpose of causing you to seek, to slow, to change and to trust that the appointment God has for you may be look different than the idea that has been embedded within you for the specific purpose of confusion and futility. To be clear, confusion and futility are not words to ever be associated with God. He makes His plan clear when we are ready to receive.

“Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting,
“Clear the way through the wilderness
    for the Lord!
Make a straight highway through the wasteland
    for our God!” Isaiah 40:3 (NLT)

I often suggest that people, businesses, churches, etc., should stop trying to push a limp rope through a tight hole. Our God of eternity is also a God of seasons. He gave us the very different beauty of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter as examples of changing seasons, all intertwined to create a more beautiful Earth and ecosystem. Similarly, God will bring changing seasons in your life. What was important or worked in another season, now has no value, relevance or effectiveness. This does not change your value or relevance to your/our Father. His changing season within us is to sharpen us, expand us, use us for this specific time. You are never discounted or discontinued in the Father’s eyes. You are His marvelous creation and He desires your heart first, your eyes and ears second, your effort third and your humility and willingness to change in all things.

So Balaam disobeyed God and he was corrected. The story here is that God used Balaam for His purposes despite Balaam’s disobedience. The truth here is God knows our human limitations and He loves us regardless, often times correcting our efforts through amazing people and situations He places in our path. He will use us for marvelous things, if only we trust and obey, with the marathon of expectation. Look around and wonder, Father who is my donkey and am I treating them with anger or resentment that needs to be replaced with gratitude and thanks.

“When King Balak heard that Balaam was on the way, he went out to meet him at a Moabite town on the Arnon River at the farthest border of his land. “Didn’t I send you an urgent invitation? Why didn’t you come right away?” Balak asked Balaam. “Didn’t you believe me when I said I would reward you richly?” Balaam replied, “Look, now I have come, but I have no power to say whatever I want. I will speak only the message that God puts in my mouth.” Numbers 22:36-38 (NLT)