We live in a season where everything is difficult and it’s not only in here that hotels and businesses are shutting down; it’s all over the world. It’s a signal that something is going on. And the Scripture in Proverbs 21:1 says: the king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes. There are 3 things that I want you to pay attention to in this verse: the heart, God’s pleasure and a river.

You may even be here today wondering: why did I come to this meeting? But let me announce to you by the Spirit of the Lord that you are not here by chance. And if you will pay close attention to what I’m sharing with you today, you will become the architect of the change that God will bring about in your life. I didn’t say that your Pastor. You will be the architect of the change that God will bring about in your life. This Scripture speaks about the heart of the king. In place of the word “king” in Proverbs 21:1 put your boss in your office or the rulers of the country who make laws and think they can change time by the things which they speak and by the things which they do. Their laws and regulations have an impact on you. Taxes are being levied that are driving businessmen away. Different kinds of difficulties are coming and you may begin to wonder.

The Good News Translation of Proverbs 21:1 reads: The Lord controls the mind of a king as easily as he directs the course of a stream.

The Amplified Version of Proverbs 21:1 says, The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as are the watercourses; He turns it whichever way He wills.

As rivers of water God turns it wherever He pleases. Wherever it is that He wants it to go is the way it will go. I want you to know however hard things may be that God is in control, whether it’s the heart of a bad king like Pharaoh who set himself up against the people of God or people who have set themselves up against you, maybe in your office or in your marketplace. God saw the end of Pharaoh, didn’t He? Sometimes he said, I repent and sometimes he said, Who is that God? But in every one of those times his heart was in the hands of the Eternal God. God defined a boundary beyond which Pharaoh could not go. And for any one of those bad people standing up against you, you need to know that there is a boundary that God has set around them that they cannot go beyond.

This is not a matter of just saying Amen. You need to get to the place where the word of God comes alive in you. I’m showing you the word of God so that you are convinced and you can stand in the presence of your enemy and tell him, “God has laid a table here for me. I will eat on this table.” You need to get to the place where the word of God comes alive in you. As wicked and as difficult as Pharaoh was God defined a boundary for him, same with an unbelieving king like Nebuchadnezzar.

And I want to throw you a challenge here, my beloved in the Lord. On the day of the battle between David and Goliath there were three groups of people present at the battlefront. There were the Israelites, there was David and there was Goliath. What was different among these three groups? Goliath never knew God. But did the Israelites know God? It was just a claim in their mouths. They never knew God. And this is my challenge to you. Don’t be like the people of Israel who thought that they knew God because if they knew God they would not have been afraid. The people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits (Daniel 11:32). Whatever the difficulties you think you are facing, posed by man or ruler or king, God is still in charge, defining their boundaries, telling them, you cannot go beyond here. So why do you want to die in fear?

And if there’s anything you are taking away today, it is that persuasion in your heart that no matter how hard it looks God has set a boundary around it.

Can you imagine all the pressure that the rulers of this land are faced with, on how to make sure that their people are living healthy and that there is sufficient income? They have many things in their heart. But do you know that God is the one who is still in charge of whatever goes on in their hearts? So the rulers may have made rules, taken decisions and said this is my intent, this is what I’m going to do but as rivers of water God can turn that away and move it in a direction that will fulfil the purpose of God concerning your life as a child of God. Do you believe?

I don’t want you to remain unsure thinking, why did I come here? I said earlier that you are going to be the architect that will bring about the change in your life. You know what I found out in the word of God? All things indeed have been given to us. When Jesus said in Luke 10:19, behold I give unto you power. There were two dimensions of power that God gave. If you look at the Greek word translated power, there is exousia which is delegated authority and then there is dunamis. Paul demonstrated those two. When he addressed Elymas, the wicked sorcerer, who stood in opposition to the word of God. He just said, You shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time. Did Paul say in the name of Jesus? No! (Acts 13:1-12). That is a dimension of power that is not based on I have already done it, go and do it. But you call it to be. There is also the bit that is exousia seen when Paul said to the slave girl that was possessed with a spirit of divination, “In the name of Jesus, I command you to come out of her” (Acts 16:16-18). He wasn’t calling something supernatural but he was simply saying I’m effecting the authority that Christ has given to me. Why have I given you that illustration? There are some things that God has given to me that I don’t need reference to God anymore. I do not need reference because it has already been given to me. I exercise it. But in dunamis when you are standing in alignment with His purpose, not for your lot but for His glory, you can call anything to be.

As we speak about this mighty hand of God, you will see that it’s a matter of the heart. Jeremiah 17:9 says, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? The Septuagint translation of this verse says, The heart is deep beyond all things, and it is the man, and who can know him? Only God can know it. Even you don’t know your heart. I don’t know my heart. The Scriptures in Isaiah 53 speak of transgressions and iniquities. He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities (Isaiah 53:5). Most of us confuse the two and think that they are the one and the same. They are not. Iniquity is in the depth of a heart. I don’t even know it. And I’m telling you this because your heart has to be in alignment with God’s pleasure for you to see the fullness of that power flowing into your life. If your heart is not in alignment with the Eternal God you won’t enjoy the fullness of that power. I gave you the Scripture in Isaiah 53 because I want you to know that Jesus paid for everything whether it is transgression or iniquity. So you don’t have to begin to wonder, will God hear me?

Iniquity is in the depth of the heart. And that’s why I pray every day, Lord, show to me those things which are still hidden, that I don’t understand, that are contrary to You, because I don’t want to carry the burden of living in any form of iniquity. Transgression is external. When you say you transgress it means that you went beyond a particular defined boundary. It’s on the outside. Both are things that every believer needs to deal with. Jesus said in Matthew 15:19, For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.

I want you to get into a large place where you can take on the full benefit of what God has given to you; that nothing is standing in the way of you being in alignment with what brings God pleasure. I needed to make that difference so that as you are pressing towards fulfilling and experiencing the power of being in alignment with God, I want you to search your heart to be sure that there is no hidden sin, no transgression, whether it’s in your business or in your office. Have you done something that is contrary? Repent of it and then you can see the power of God beginning to make changes for you. What has been difficult in your business? This word that we read in Proverbs 21:1 says that the heart of the king is in the hands of Lord and like rivers of water God turns it in whatever direction He wants.

Have you seen a river before? If you throw a pebble on the floor it bounces back because the floor is hard. But if you threw a pebble into a river it sinks because the river is soft. However hard you think the river is, it’s just water. It may look hard to you but God did not make a mistake here in Proverbs 21:1 by describing the heart of a king as rivers of water under God’s command. It may look hard to you but in the hands of the Eternal God, it is soft. So what looks hard to you? What appears difficult to you? All you need to do is get your heart in alignment with Eternal God. As the Lord lives, these words that I’ve spoken to you are not going to come back void. They cannot come back void. As you turn your heart in alignment to God you are going to return to testify. Whatever difficulties you’ve had in your place of work, in your market, in your home, you are going to see the change coming. You will return to testify that the Lord honoured the word. You are the architect that is going to cause the change.

The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. The king may have made up his mind that this is what he wants to do but God changes it to fulfil the purpose that He has ordained for your life. I don’t know what it is that has troubled you, what hardship has been pushed towards you or the obstacles that have made you think, Has God forsaken me? God hasn’t forsaken you. Otherwise you won’t be here today. That you’re here today is because God has a purpose in your life that He wants to fulfil. Amen! It is because God has good thoughts towards you, to bring you to the expectation that He has for your life. It is because of God’s love. He won’t bring you half way, He will take you through. It is because this is the time of the favour of the Lord upon you and upon your home. It is because by the words that I’m speaking to you, life is being produced in you, confidence is being put in you, to be able to stand against whatever has troubled you so far. This is just the beginning of the great things that God is going to do in your life. I say it again.

Because you will find in Proverbs 20:27, The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly. The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD by which He searches the heart. God knows what’s in your heart. All you just want to says is, Lord, just as I am without one plea, I come to You, Lord. I’ve been a thief.

Like Hezekiah said, “Lord, I have served You with all my heart. I have served You with all my life. Now You tell me that I’m going to die. You have to change Your mind God (Isaiah 38:1-3).” You can make God change His mind. You don’t believe me? You’re not sure? When your life is alignment with His will ….And that’s the challenge that I’m posing to you, only those whose hearts are set in their ways, those who are not willing to give God a chance can be in a situation where they are afraid. But today I have brought you good news. I have brought you a sure word from the Lord and you can say that wherever you go, as you turn your heart to Him wholly and fully, whatever has been a difficulty is buried today. On this day as you set your heart in order, whatever has been that difficulty is buried. You will begin to see a sprouting forth of the springs of life, in every place that things have been dried you will see the Lord beginning to bring forth new fruits. The heart of the King is in the hands of the Lord and God turns it until it comes to your favour.