Early in my entrepreneurial career, I had established my way of doing things (my plan). I was assuming (even believing) that My Plan was also God's Plan. Then I ran into a rough patch where my life and business started falling apart, I began experiencing major financial challenges.

When God wants my full attention, especially if I'm not listening, He yanks my financial chain. And voila, He has my full attention.

I spent many days going on long walks talking to God about my adversity and it was during this desert season where I discovered God actually had a specific plan and purpose for me and my business. That My Plan wasn't His Plan, it was actually the reverse, His Plan needed to become My Plan.

I remember making a promise to God that I would commit myself to learn His way of doing things that His Plan would become My Plan. It was the genesis of my book and our HisPlan MyPlan program at Cana.

As I discovered God's specific plan and purpose for each life season, He began opening doors that led to incredible opportunities, seasons, God-assignments, success, and much prosperity in my life. 

Yet, I've also experienced much adversity in my life. From failures to setbacks, sickness and disease, death, financial loss, betrayals and partnerships gone bad.

I've experienced many desert seasons, some short ... some long. What I've learned is that in these desert seasons, God always prepares me for what's next. It's preparation time for an open door into my next season. It's where God reveals my specific plan and purpose for the new season. And for my entire life, especially as a serial entrepreneur, God has always delivered me into my new season, my future has always greater than my past.

There are two kinds of people on the planet, those who know why they're on the planet, and those who don't. And while almost all believers agree God has a plan and purpose for their lives, few can tell you what it is. Statistics say 80% CANNOT.

But worse, many who seem to understand God's purpose are running into closed doors. 

Discovering your purpose and preparing for your new season often occurs during a desert season, sandwiched between your old and new life season. This is normal. Nothing new here!

From Dream To Destiny

If you are a believer, a follower of Jesus, there's a good chance you are trying to get over into your promised land for this new season, the destiny God has established for you.

Each life season has a promised land. The place where God makes good on biblical promises for that season. 

Deuteronomy 8:7-9 NIV - For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.

When we journey from season to season and faith to faith, we will go through valleys, the wilderness, AKA The Desert Season. 

Deuteronomy 8:2 - Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.

But on the other side of every desert is your promised land. Read the whole chapter of Deuteronomy 8. It's so powerful! It's for you.

Deuteronomy 8:18 NIV - But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

And before we go any further, take five and read Deuteronomy 28:1-14. This is what God has planned for you.

Your Promised Land

YOU: Trying to move into your new season. AKA ... The Promised Land. 

ME: Your guide outta the desert and over into your destiny. 

Over the last few months, I've opened my schedule for zoom calls to confirm what God has been showing me.

Each day I had 3-5 zoom calls on my schedule from people I've never met, mostly from those new to our online learning community. Most are working-class folks like me, small business entrepreneurs pursuing their dreams and goals, along with dreamchasers who are entrepreneurial but not necessarily business owners, yet. 

I believe ALL are changemakers God has chosen with a specific marketplace calling.

This includes the gangbanger from Fresno who had just gotten out of prison and couldn't understand why I'd make time for him, he thought he was getting scammed even though he set the meeting. He didn't know what to think when I told Him God has plans for him. And if you are reading this Mr. Cholo, I promise ... He still does. 

Most everyone I spoke with was seeking their God-planted destiny. Their promised land. This is what God promises us in His Word (the Bible). It's why Jesus came, to set us free. To live the abundant life. They are pursuing purpose, to do something that matters, something that provides vocational and economic freedom. After all, since we will spend over 100,000 hours in a vocation, let's do something that matters.

I believe entrepreneurism is the new path to the American Dream, not only in America but globally. Especially for working-class people who no longer fit into a woke culture of corporate America and Big Business. The woke-class (intellectual-yet-idiot) has canceled God. So they think.

The working-class has AWAKEN! We want the freedom of the promised land. We want what Jesus promised us in John 10:10, the abundant life.

And while some already know their purpose and marketplace assignment, most lack specific clarity. Some know WHAT, but not HOW. Mostly because they don't understand the WHO. (more on this, keep reading)

Almost 100% are running into closed doors. They can't seem to get over into their new season because doors aren't opening. They don't want to end up like the first-generation Israelites who died in the desert never making it into the promised land.

So why are so many believers, followers of Jesus, running into closed doors? And why has God allowed the door to shut right in your face? 

The Closed Doors

When God closes the door that leads to your promised land, it's not because the answer is no, IT'S ONLY BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT YET PREPARED to go into your new season.

A closed-door from God only means, not yet, you're not ready, you have more preparing to do. And when you are ready, he'll establish your path and open a door nobody can close.

So, about your desert season, GET PREPARED to leave!

Your focus and #1 priority: Get Prepared! 

Now, for you impatient types (most of us), just as God opens doors and closes doors, so does satan. He will try to tempt/test you with a counterfeit door that has all of the appearances of being from God.

Tests > Lessons: These doors lead nowhere fast and they'll take you on a dreadful journey. There are no short-cuts or elevators to your destiny. These doors always lead to painful life lessons. Don't set yourself up to be tested before you are actually prepared.

Lessons > Tests: Instead, when you allow God to prepare you for what's on the other side of the door, you'll always pass the test. Get prepared, then pass the test.

Purpose Is The Key

The key to leaving your desert season and crossing over into your promised land comes by discovering your purpose for the promised land. Your specific marketplace calling.

I am writing this article for all of the entrepreneurs and dreamchasers out there who are struggling to move into their proverbial promised land, which Jesus described as the abundant life. 

If you need a picture of what abundance looks like, read Deuteronomy 28:1-14. This time read it. It lays out such a great picture of the abundant life, a part of God's new covenant with us. And FYI ... since we are redeemed from the curse through Jesus, verses 15 to the end of the chapter doesn't apply to us. And that's great news!

And yes, I am aware we will experience trouble and suffering as followers of Jesus. (eye-roll)

And yes, God promises to deliver us from ALL trouble. All means all. (just read Psalm 34:19)

It's my mission in life to help entrepreneurs and dreamchasers like you ...

1. Discover your purpose for your next life season and specific assignment from God.
   
   
2. Bulletproof your faith, where everything now becomes possible for you. Where you experience God's miraculous provision and abundance in every area of your life, both spiritual and material.
   
   
3. And finally, you get equipped to pursue your destiny, to achieve your God-planted dreams and goals.

This is your promised land! What God's Word (the Bible) promises you. This is where Jesus turns your water into wine.

Who and What

Recently, on a weekly zoom call with my friend Benson, one of my most trusted advisors, he brought up that God wants us to focus less on our what and more on our who. The Holy Spirit instructed me to write this down as He, the Holy Spirit, would explain more to me later.

And then He did. You see, many of us have a faith list of our wants/desires based upon biblical promises. This is good, this is healthy, we are instructed to do this.

1. We want purpose
2. We want mission
3. We want biblical happiness
4. We want love
5. We want peace
6. We want a place to call home
7. We want financial freedom (no debt)
8. We want good health
9. We want good relationships
10. We want a developed faith

I think you get the idea. 

If we understand faith, we actually receive what we ask for, the moment we ask for it by faith. Read Hebrews 11:1 or Mark 11:22-24. Faith is our heavenly currency. Then we must trust God to manifest the biblical promise/prayer by trusting Him for His and when. And that's the hard part.

Every year I invest the time to paint a mental picture of what I want for my family, spiritual development, health, business, and ministry. I write it down and find the biblical promises I will stand on. I spend time with God discussing all of it. I ask Him to remove anything that is not part of His will for me. I ask Him to tell me what I need to add to the list. Then once my list is spiritually vetted, I receive it all by faith. It's mine. I have the title deed. It's guaranteed by God.

I have all of this written down in the front of my journal. I declare and praise God for these things on a daily basis. This is all good. If you're are doing this, keep doing this. If you aren't, start doing this.

But instead of being preoccupied with getting, my WHAT, instead, I focus on my WHO. That is, WHO God says I am and then WHAT He wants me to do. 

What I'm saying is once you establish what you want, focus more on who God says you are. When you know who you are, you can then focus on what He has assigned you to do. (Read Matthew 6:33)

When you don’t know who you are, everything you do will be an effort to try to make yourself into something — to create your own identity. But your identity isn’t found in what you do, it’s found in who God says you are.

There is nothing you can do to change your identity because your identity is already established (as a believer). It’s not about trying to manage who you were. It’s about learning to live out who you have become.

It’s when you realize who you are, then you realize that you were behaving below your nature — you were living short of your potential.

The Key: HisPlan MyPlan

God has a plan and purpose for you, specifically for this new season in your life. And, you have a specific marketplace assignment. It will always be connected to the great commission found at the end of Matthew and Mark. (books in the new testament) :)

The KEY to the open door is the preparation in:

1. Discovering God's SPECIFIC purpose and plan for you in this new season.
2. Learning how to BULLETPROOF your faith.
3. Getting equipped for your assignment.
4. Learning what it takes to partner with God.
5. Learning what it takes to be powered by God.

When you know these things, you will have a Joseph anointing on you and your mission. 

If you are an entrepreneur you'll have to get prepared and equipped if you want to be an effective entrepreneur.  It's why I created our Full-Stack Entrepreneur Accelerator.

So there it is, about your desert season. PREPARE to leave.

- Gerald

If you are not a member of God’s family but you want to be, this would be a great time to join it. Just click here to learn how...