New action requires new preparation. We can dream and vision throughout our lives, but if we never move into action, we will effectively daydream our lives away. At the same time, if we launch into action without some preparation we do little more than gamble our future on a good break. Achieving our destiny is the result of listening to God and acting on His word to us.

Pastor David Cho of Seoul, Korea, pastors the largest church in the world. His oversight includes more than 500,000 people and a tremendous global ministry. Once, during an interview, Pastor Cho was asked how he organized the ministry. What was this successful pastor’s secret to such a powerful impact? He humbly suggested that the power principal he based his leadership upon was simply this, “I pray and I obey.”

To our ears this is “nice,” but we are easily tempted to think that this was just a simplistic spiritual response. However, this truly is a powerful spiritual principle. When we seek to hear from heaven, then act on earth we connect with the heart of God and with the heart of people. If Jesus thought it was important to hear God’s heart in every situation, then you and I need to follow that model. We too want to be able to say that we only do what we see our Father in heaven doing.

Today we enter into the season of Lent, a forty-day period (plus Sundays) where we participate in acts of self-denial and reflection in preparation for the celebration of Easter. Often we participate in the self-denial and reflection, yet we miss the preparation. We give up a favorite food or hobby as a way to honor God during this season and our acts of devotion have a profound impact upon us. Still, there is even more to be gained through our Lenten activities. If we are open to the Spirit, willing to look for heaven’s vision for our lives, we will find that we are preparing for something new God wants to do in and through us.

When we listen to God’s direction and obediently follow, we invite the power of divine possibility into our lives and we increase our effectiveness in ministry. We move into a greater fulfillment of our destiny and we begin to experience the satisfaction that comes from walking in the pleasure of God.

Such spiritual success does not come by chance. It does not come by sitting on the sofa and waiting for something important to happen. Instead, we prepare ourselves to live out our calling by learning to pray and obey.

I pray this season of preparation will lead you further in the destiny God has for you. God is confident of your ability if you put your trust in him and are willing to follow his lead. May it be so.