Wingmen

The most strategic relationship in our lives as believers is, not surprisingly, our relationship with God.  I see many men today confused about God‚Äôs hand in their life.  For example, in our unstable economic climate, an unemployed worker may hold firm to the belief that God will provide for him.  As Psalm 104 states, God provides for the animals, His children‚Äîand we as humans fall under that umbrella.  So the unemployed worker checks out, waiting for God to deliver.  But that‚Äôs not what the psalm means.
Nowhere is work ethic as important as in our connection to He who created us.  Our relationship with God is a strategic one.  ‚ÄúA man‚Äôs heart deviseth his way,‚Äù reads Proverbs 16:9, ‚Äúbut the Lord directeth his steps.‚Äù  In modern parlance, I will call this ‚Äúnoggin navigation.‚Äù  A friend coined this term and I practiced this technique many times with my son on outings when he was young.  I would keep a hand on his head, directing him to go here but not there.  He was doing the walking; I was only navigating.  That‚Äôs how God works with us.  We perform the actions, and God does the guiding.
The belief that God will open all the doors for you is partly true:  He will open them, but you must uphold your end of the relationship by looking for them and walking through them.  God is not going to carry you through.  Although He can, but that is more the exception as opposed to the rule.  You must do your share of the work in order to enjoy results.  As Benjamin Franklin once said, ‚ÄúGod helps those who help themselves.‚Äù
In Deuteronomy, when the children of Israel left Egypt for the promised land of Canaan, they were continually battling opponents.  Before Joshua took over as leader of the Israelites, God told him, ‚ÄúBe strong and of good courage.  Fear not, nor be afraid of them.‚Äù  Sometimes the Israelites faced fierce combat; other times God fought the battle for them, slaying their foes before they even arrived on the battlefield.  However, the Israelites never knew beforehand what they would face, but they went anyway, prepared for anything, knowing God was on their side.  Sometimes God blesses us, and sometimes He surprises us.  But no matter what we may face, we must hold strong to our beliefs, work towards our goal, and pray that the Lord will bless our steps ( as long as they don’t contradict His word and common sense).
The things I‚Äôve cherished most in life are the things I‚Äôve worked hardest for.  In all of my achievements, God has been by my side, guiding my next move.  He‚Äôs been cheering me on, monitoring my progress, and spurring me toward greater success.  My determination and solid work ethic has provided the fuel for my accomplishments, while God has navigated through them all.
God wants nothing more than to harness your work ethic for His glory.  If you give him that opportunity, you‚Äôll unleash the potential within yourself to do all you ever dreamed.