Acts26:19 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:(KJV).
Pastor E. A. Adeboye told the story of how he became a full time minister. He said in his days, being a pastor was synonymous with poverty.
He wanted to become one of the youngest vice chancellors. That was his ambition but God's vision for his life is totally different.
His sisters told him he was not in his right senses because they were looking up to him as the glory of the family having had a university education. He disappointed the spirit of ambition through obedience to God's will.
Don't tell me it is easy to yield to that divine vision, it is not always easy. There is an inner struggle and battle that must be fought and won. That's the battle of ambition- what you desire.
In a school of ministry, my lecturer told us two things that always compete with every God-given vision and one of them is ambition.
Here, we define ambition to mean what you desire to do while your God-given vision is God's desire and assignment for you.
Ambition is always in constant battle with every God-given vision. There's no man that has received an assignment from God that didn't fight the battle of ambition.
Paul boldly declared that he obeyed the heavenly vision he received. His focus was on his assignment. That was how he silenced the voice of ambition.
Sometimes, people around us help fuel the embers of ambition. I remember someone telling me many years ago that my mates were in the UK doing masters. He was insinuating that I was wasting my time doing ministry in Nigeria especially in villages.
Further, he said to me, "If you become a preacher, you'll be respected and popular but you won't be rich". Hearing a statement like this can make some persons retreat to the mountain to fast and pray asking God to prove a point while some may abandon ministry totally.
At several points in my life, the idea of quitting ministry came so that I can pursue my inner most ambition but God didn't let me off the hook. Thank God I am in.
The day you hear from God what your life assignment is, those things you had wanted to become will show up from nowhere to wage war against God's plan for your life.
To overcome, just surrender to God's will and stay focused. Ask the Lord for grace to conquer the enemy of God's plan for your life- spirit of ambition.
Father, I receive grace to conquer the battle of ambition In Jesus name.