Heaven's Secret: Discovering God's Purpose Through Challenges and Life Interruptions

By Guerrick Makengo

I know you wanted your life journey to be as smooth as it could possibly be. However, your struggle taught you something that no one ever could-it unveiled a secret about the real you!

What's keeping you from fulfilling your purpose? Purpose is such a simple word, yet extraordinarily complex in its execution. We often get

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Aug 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9798887388410

Guerrick Makengo

Guerrick is the founder and visionary of Unveiled Di- vine Purpose Ministries, originally from Kinshasa, DR Congo. At ten, he accepted Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior. He then moved to Dallas, Texas, at age eighteen, where he completed his bachelor's in aero- space engineering and master's in systems engineering.Stirred in 2014 to go into ministry, he did not respond to his calling until 2016. He has been recognized for his prophetic voice, passion for revival, and winning souls to Jesus Christ. Purpose, destiny, and the will of God are at the heart of his message, but above all, he remains a student of the Word of God.

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Heaven’s Secret

discovering God’s purposes through challenges

and life interruptions

Guerrick Makengo

Trilogy Christian Publishers

A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network

2442 Michelle Drive

Tustin, CA 92780

Copyright © 2023 by Guerrick K. Makengo

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Public domain.

Scripture quotations marked nasb are taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org.

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Trilogy Christian Publishing/ TBN and colophon are trademarks of Trinity Broadcasting Network.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Trilogy Christian Publishing.

Manufactured in the United States of America

Trilogy Disclaimer: The views and content expressed in this book are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views and doctrine of Trilogy Christian Publishing or the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN 979-8-88738-840-3

ISBN 979-8-88738-841-0 (ebook)

Disclaimer

No part of this book can be transmitted or reproduced in any form, including print, electronic, photocopying, scanning, mechanical, or recording, without prior written permission from the author.

While the author has made the utmost efforts to ensure the accuracy of the written content, all readers are advised to follow the information mentioned herein at their own risk. The author cannot be held responsible for any personal or commercial damage caused by misinterpretation of information. All readers are encouraged to seek professional advice when needed.

This book has been written for information purposes only. Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and accurate as possible. However, there may be mistakes in typography or content. Also, this book provides information only up to the publishing date.

The purpose of this book is to educate. The author and the publisher do not warrant that the information contained in this book is fully complete and shall not be responsible for any errors or omissions. The author and publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book.

Acknowledgments

I thank my wife, Benedicte, for sharing the journey of developing this book with me. I am grateful to her for allowing me to share my story. Her love, encouragement, vulnerability, and patience toward me have been an inspiration to be the best I can be.

I thank our daughter, Kolaiah, for the joy and the love she continues to bring to our home. The challenge of being a parent has allowed me to understand the struggles my parents had and to love them even more. In addition, being a parent has significantly assisted me in looking at life differently and growing further to be a better version of myself.

I thank my father, Gaston, and mother, Agnes, for their loving support in raising a family of six children. I thank all my siblings, Mireille, Dauphin, Lydie, Anne-Marie, and Joel, for motivating me to higher achievements, who continue to support me through my difficult times.

I thank the Action City Dallas Pastors, Josephine and John James, for previewing this book and making sure this is theologically sound. I really appreciate your support, encouragement, and prayers.

Introduction

Amidst one of the most confusing and challenging times of my life, something surprising happened: I was inspired to put pen to paper to give expression to lifelong lessons and impact those who will be reading this book, so to speak, to type out all that I was experiencing and learning—and w rite a book.

Is this unusual or even irrational? Perhaps so. Already feeling overwhelmed during that time, I thought about my circumstances and wondered, Will I ever move past this? Will I ever recover? But then I realized that the timing was not so surprising. So often, when we are faced with the most significant challenges in our lives, we discover some of our greatest potentials.

I’ve never seen myself as a writer, nor have I ever been an avid reader. Throughout my education, I’ve limited myself to reading only books necessary for doing well in class.

When I was about twenty-six, I made an important life decision—to settle down with the woman for whom I had prayed for so long, the one I had thought that God meant for me to marry. I believed I had the will of God all figured out and that He had directed me to the person I had been talking to for over two years.

And even though, deep down, something did not sit right with my heart, I ignored my gut feelings and got engaged.

Even then, I was ignoring all the signs and inner conviction that perhaps I was heading down the wrong path. I still thought God was directing my steps toward marriage and that my gut instincts were misinformed.

Just a few months later, despite thinking I knew God’s will, I decided to end the engagement amicably. Of course, such an intricate, complex decision would hurt this woman, our families, and many others. Yet I could not deny all the signs that now pointed me away from matrimony and in another direction.

So why did I now believe this marriage at that moment would be an even bigger mistake? But first, I needed to stop and reassess why all the signs were now diametrically opposite to what I thought God had wanted just a few months before.

And though I was now making the most challenging and contentious decision of my life, I could not know the angst and despair that would ensue. Moreover, I had no idea of the extent to which my mental, emotional, and spiritual health would suffer.

Especially in an African family, where tradition and honor are so important within communities, I knew my decision would face opposition—yet I didn’t realize the impact my decision would have on my overall well-being.

I always thought that life was about getting to a destination, a step-by-step process that brings you to the point of perfect alignment with the will of God. While my friends, family, and pastors questioned my decision, I was also battling within myself to understand both God’s will for me and who I was—or, instead, whom He had made me become. On the inside, I had to learn to change and control the way I perceived what I was facing, yet doing so did not come naturally.

I believe we have all had moments in life when we feel like we’re barely hanging on by a thread. Times that are marked by extreme disappointment with our circumstances, provoking us to throw in the towel just because the process doesn’t make sense anymore.

As I had to justify my decision to myself and others, I had to face questions I had no idea how to answer. I had to deal with confusion, uncertainty, and fear. God showed me new things about myself and what knowing His will really means. Sometimes, seeking and finding His will involves looking at ourselves in a whole new way, and doing so can seem highly painful and complex.

Looking around me today, I realize that my situation wasn’t unique in the sense that almost everyone must endure different seasons of life that seem to bring heartbreaking trials. Almost everyone must make key choices at times that can bring negative ramifications on themselves and others.

Certainly, many others face similar life predicaments, no matter their background. They are trying to determine what major to study in school, what job to pick, what church to attend, and the best timing for projects...the list can be exhausting. Yet, the vitality of our lives relies on our ability to understand and allow our uniqueness to find expression. Doing so takes transparency and vulnerability before God; we need to allow Him to dig deep into our lives and help us discover secrets about the better version of ourselves and our stories.

Chapter 1:

Backup

PAIN and PURPOSE have a symbiotic relationship. Your mission is tucked away in your suffering! The word pain or some form of it appears over seventy times in Scripture. The word’s first usage explains the origin of pain in childbirth: I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth. In pain you will bring forth children, yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you (Genesis 3:16, NASB). ¹ From the beginning, you can understand that pain was intended for a purpose in the eyes of God: to birth something new out of you. Your anguish will continue to be painful until you recognize the reason behind it. Have you ever thought about why you’re in pain? Have you ever tried to figure out what your suffering is for? If everything is working in your favor, you must accept that suffering, as unpleasant as it may be, is also a byproduct of favor.We will all experience pain in our lives, but not everyone will find meaning in their suffering. In the midst of agony, you must make two essential decisions: the first is to decide what to do with your pain, and the second is to determine how to deal with whom your pain impacts.

The first is about you, while the second is about other people.

Suffering is a choice, but pain is unavoidable.² You can spend the rest of your life wallowing in your misery. On the other hand, you may also turn it around and choose to put it to good use. Which option will you choose?

Most individuals lose out on their purpose because they spend their lives attempting to prevent or shield themselves from suffering.

The purpose of pain is not to kill you. Instead, it is to reintroduce you to the real you.

The more complex the problem is to solve, the more you discover along the way. The important thing is to see our suffering through the eyes of God’s plan. Because our experiences aren’t what make or break us.

Our perception and explanation of those events ultimately determine who we become. Challenges are put on our path to build us up and develop a godly character. The Bible says in Romans 5:3-5:

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

This scripture also depicts the power of our testimonies. Our stories reveal the God of all possibilities through our personal experiences to people around us. How would your friend know about the God who restores if you haven’t experienced restoration?

Allowing your grief to blur the role clarity may play in your life is a mistake. Every terrible experience may be channeled into a positive outcome by God. Ask yourself the following questions to help you find meaning in your suffering. According to the wise man Nietzsche, suffering actually makes us stronger, more resilient, and better able to endure hardships. In order to build up, we must endure some pain, so our emotions need to endure pain in order to get stronger.³ How might my experience of suffering provide hope to someone else who needs to hear it? What effect has my pain had on my attitude toward those in agony? What can I make or generate that will serve as a source of inspiration for others? What am I willing to fight for? What am I passionate about? What’s that one thing that I am always concerned about that I’d change if I had the power to? In my suffering, what is God saying to me? Your agony will continue until you understand the message in your pain.

Some individuals merely get by in life, but conquering your suffering allows you to progress. Adversity often helps us uncover a strength we didn’t know we had. Ernest Hemingway said, The world breaks everyone, and afterward, many are strong in the broken places.⁴

Has your computer ever crashed? Have you ever known that terrible feeling, that sudden dread of thinking you’ve lost all data on your computer?

If you’re like me, you distinctly remember the time you had an important essay or project you needed to submit in a few hours, thinking all your hard work might earn you an A. And then, without warning, your computer blinked...and you lost everything.

How do we usually react in those situations? Some people are disappointed, some are angry, and some are afraid and frustrated, knowing all their work was in vain.

Real life can mirror this scenario.

To explain what I mean, let’s make it clear that when a computer gets damaged, or a hard drive fails to operate, the data stored within can become irretrievable. While computers or their components can get physically damaged, viruses or malware can make their way into the device’s storage. These malicious programs can erase all data on the hard drive or another storage component; it may make it nearly impossible for you to access the data on the storage device. Physical damage can also be attributed to wear and tear due to old age, floods, or fires. As a result, you will lose your data on your computer or its storage device.

In a day and age where data is of such high value, the loss of it for businesses and individuals could be disastrous. Think of it this way: a business that has lost all of its client information, saved projects, and other confidential details could not only put the company behind schedule with some projects but also potentially ruin the company—both financially and in reputation. That is not to say that data loss cannot and will not be damaging to individuals as well. There are countless personal documents, personal correspondence, and images that could be lost. In addition to that, there’s also a chance that the individual may lose all of their professional data as well. So how can we avert this momentary calamity? Well, a simple yet effective solution is the process of duplication or backing up of data. This process aims to provide a duplicate of all your data if it is lost. It’s usually on a completely different storage device—be it physical or digital and can ensure that you’re protected even when things go awry.

We rely on backups. In information technology, we create a data backup when we store a copy of computer data elsewhere, ensuring it’s ready to restore the original after a data loss event. Backups provide a recovery plan during disastrous times. A backup system contains at least one copy of all data considered worth saving.

What does all this have to do with our lives when something goes wrong?

We have to know that it’s not the data retrieval system itself that proves so essential, but rather that the information itself stands paramount. Likewise, the information stored in your subconscious is what really matters. Therefore, it must be stored, protected, and backed up. And having a backup is key—one that helps you navigate, preserve, and restore the most important things in life when circumstances go wrong. This includes situations that