What the God-Ordained Life Looks Like – Roy Walden, Sr.

Every believer eventually hits a wall where frustration sets in. We wonder why our prayers seem to hit a brass ceiling, why our plans crumble, or why a sense of deep despondency creeps into our faith.

When my father, Roy Walden, Sr., preached on this, he didn’t pull any punches. He would say this isn’t a message pulled from a textbook or something learned in Bible school—it is a word straight from the throne of God.

If you are experiencing chaos, confusion, or disappointment in your walk, the diagnosis might be simpler than you think: You might be trying to repossess a life that doesn’t belong to you anymore.

1. The God-Arranged Life

When we look at the word ordained, we often think of a formal ceremony. But the truest definition of the word means arranged.

An ordained life is a life that God has put into order, appointed, and destined specifically for you. He has a prearranged path for you to live.

The greatest conflict in the Christian experience happens when God’s people keep trying to take control back from Him. As my father vividly put it:

“God has not defaulted on His payments. We have no legal, moral, or spiritual right to repossess or to take anything back from God that He has already purchased and paid for with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.”

The Scripture tells us plainly: You are not your own; you were bought with a price. When we try to take the wheel, that is exactly where the chaos and confusion enter. The natural man wants control, but God holds the title deed to your life.

2. Walk It Out, Step by Step

In 1 Corinthians 7:17, the Apostle Paul writes:

“But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk.”

Notice that phrasing: so let him walk. Walking isn’t flying, and it isn’t a massive leap. How do you walk? One foot in front of the other, one step at a time. It is a moment-by-moment, hour-by-hour, day-by-day surrender to Jesus Christ.

In John 15:16, Jesus shifts our perspective entirely on who is in charge of the roadmap:

“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit…”

It is God doing the choosing. It is God producing the fruit. We think we have the right to choose all the intricacies and details of our lives, but God is interested in it all—even the practical details, like the job you take or how you conduct your business. When we yield to Him, He promises that we will be blessed in our deeds.

3. Grace, Works, and an Appetite Change

We know we are saved by grace through faith, not of works (Ephesians 2:8-9). We don’t work to be saved; we work because we are saved.

When you become a new creature in Christ Jesus, a dramatic crisis decision takes place, followed by a dramatic change of direction. Your appetites change:

• The things you once loved, you now hate.

• The things you once hated, you now love.

Suddenly, you are looking for opportunities to do good works because you are His workmanship (Ephesians 2:10).

Even when it comes to that difficult boss or those people who are hard to deal with, the ordained life shifts your perspective. Jesus said if you’ve done it unto the least of these, you’ve done it unto Him. When you look at your daily, ordinary labor as an act of ministry unto the Lord, you out-produce and out-love the world around you.

4. The Gift of the Guide

God didn’t set a high standard and leave us to figure it out alone. Jesus knew we would be scattered like sheep without a shepherd, so He sent the Holy Spirit to be our personal Comforter, Leader, and Teacher.

The Holy Spirit will not lead you into left field. If you are seeking the will of God with a pure and true heart, He will keep your feet firmly planted on the path.

Christianity is so much more than just showing up on Sunday morning, singing a few choruses, hearing a sermon, and leaving untouched and unmoved to do what we want to do. God has specific things for you to fulfill in your employment, your marriage, your family, and your personal prayer life.

A Moment for Reflection

If your life is full of frustration and things just aren’t working out, stop long enough to listen to the voice of God. We are often running so fast trying to fix things ourselves that we don’t pause to let Him reveal His will.

If you have slipped, made mistakes, or allowed the habits of the world to take control, remember that God loves you. Just as He provided a covering for Adam and Eve in the Garden, He has provided the ultimate covering for you today: the blood of Jesus Christ, which cleanses us from all unrighteousness.

He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to a place of repentance and full restoration.

Ask yourself today:

Are you walking the God-chosen, God-ordained, God-appointed life?

If you’ve gotten off the path, you don’t have to stay lost. Turn your heart back to the Father, hand Him back the keys to your life, and step back onto the path of ultimate victory.

What areas of your life are you realizing you need to hand back over to God today? Let’s discuss in the comments below.