Of course, the possibility exists He is already trying to teach me these things and I am yet too dense to see them.  Either way I am incomplete and need to pursue the poverty of spirit to come to greater knowledge…

The most obvious obstacle to this knowledge is our human will.  In the beginning there was nothing inherently evil about the will, but when Adam and Eve fell under Satan’s influence and rebelled against God, everything changed.  The drives put in us for our own survival and sense of satisfaction were corrupted by selfish ambition and bitter envy.  Our way was no longer His way, and to this day mankind continues to pursue darkness and death over light and life.

Proof of this stubborn bent toward rebellion can be seen in our blatant disobedience of God’s expressed will.  While finding God’s specific will for our lives is important, it does no good to arrive at our perceived destiny if we lack the character necessary to take possession.  For this reason, the first step in understanding God’s will is to keep His commandments.  Jesus shared this principle in His words to His disciples, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15).  Our motivation for living within God’s will should be to please Him, not ourselves, and if our hearts are truly in the right place we will begin by doing the things we already know to do.

Do you see how the poor in spirit are better equipped to grasp God’s kingdom plans?  They crucify their sins daily through unwavering obedience, and as they are transformed either God becomes more specific in His leading, they become more aware of His purposes, or both.  God isn’t going to unleash anyone for big things if they can’t be trusted in the small things.  He would be foolish to give a rebel the keys to His kingdom, and since God can’t be fooled, this scenario simply isn’t going to happen.

Some will rebel along the way, and there will be deceivers who pretend to be called, but God doesn’t employ disobedience servants.  Even Jonah, who hated the people of Nineveh, plucked them from the fire of destruction by obeying God’s command to warn them through preaching.  First he sailed the other way, but ultimately he was swayed back to His task by His Lord’s stern hand.  Obedience and great spiritual tasks go hand-in-hand.