There is Always a Plan in Motion

To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue. 
Proverbs 16:1


There is always a plan in motion even if you know or not. There is a plan in motion if you are seeking after it or not. There is always a plan for your life. A Destiny that you are called to carry out.

There is so many things that I want to do in my life and there are so many different ways I want to serve others in this nation and among all other nations. The plans in my heart are huge, out of love, and of ministry. These plans I want to do in my life are boiling up in my heart and spirit and are driven by the love and passion I have for my Jesus. I think of these plans often, the places I want to travel and the places I want to volunteer my time. So many countries and states have come to my mind and the more I think of them and pray over them, the bigger the passion and boiling of love in my heart grows. Even though these plans and passions seem huge inside, God usually has a bigger plan and passion He wants to put in your heart and in your plans. This is where the second part of this verse comes into play, "but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue." This is where it gets exciting. Well sometimes. When I say sometimes, the final say from the Lord is not always what you want to hear or even want to do at first hearing the plan but all we can do is be obedient, go in faith, and have a cheerful heart.

When I stepped off the airplane June 19, 2010 in Billings Montana after spending a month in Ethiopia in an orphanage, I said to myself and my best friend Jeff that I am going back there next summer. I prayed about this and I was so passionate about getting back to my kids at the orphanage to continue where we left off in work projects and our ministry and also to lead a larger group into doing that work. As I saved and prayed and the closer it got to the date where I had to confirm with my buddy Dan on whether I was going back to Ethiopia so we could purchase plane tickets God spoke up. God didn't speak loudly or in an authoritative voice that would scare you or intimidate a person into doing something but he spoke in a soft, loving way of that of a good Father. All he said is, "Joe, this isn't your time to go back." I was shocked at first. I wanted to push the subject and try to go to Ethiopia anyways but I knew I had to be obedient. So I said no to my buddy and I moved forward in prayer and faith that God had a bigger plan. As I moved forward, my new prayer was that of similar to Jabez's prayer. I prayed that God would expand my territory and stretch me, I will do whatever you wish. A month passed and God called me to go to the Dream Center in LA. So I used the money I saved up and went with the Chi Alpha group and watched God move in amazing ways. God called me next to go to Chicago with the youth to do mission work on the southside of the town. That was an amazing time also! God had a theme and a mission for me this year, to stay in the states. I was obedient and I got to be apart of some amazing ministries and memories.

When I got back from Chicago June 27, I got a sweet, sweet email from a lady that has adopted from the orphanage that I worked at in Ethiopia. She said that this organization I was working with was developing this new program that gives the orphans an opportunity to travel to America for 5 weeks to get medical work down, vacation, and also to advocated for to get adopted. She said that there were a few kids that she thought I would know that was coming to the states. I asked her where they were going to be staying and she said in Bozeman Montana with a host family! I was shocked! That is only a 2 hour drive from my home town! The next question I asked is if she new the names of the kids that were coming and as she told me a name, the profile picture on my facebook was this picture right here of a little girl that I grew very close to at the orphanage. She is like a sister to me. Her heart for Jesus is amazing! She taught me so so much in Africa on what it means to have a relationship with Christ and how to persevere in faith in the face of fear and having nothing but your faith. She is my hero! The lady said that it was this girl that was coming! I was like no way! Are you kidding me?! I was like can I see her? The lady said yeah and she gave me dates of either July 22-25. It so happened I had those days off and I was going to be driving through Bozeman that weekend! Come on God! So I was antsy for a few weeks until I got to go down to Bozeman. On my way back to Dickinson, I stopped in Bozeman. I got a hold of the host family and they gave me directions to their house. This little girl had no idea I was coming over to see her. It was a surprise. As I was driving to her house, I was tearing up as I was talking to God. I said, God you knew the wants of my heart and the passions to go back to Africa. You had a bigger plan with some other mission trips you wanted me to be apart of but in the end, you ended up bringing Africa to me! God had a way bigger plan than I could have ever put together. So when I got to the house, I went up to the door and knocked. I heard the host mother say hey ____ (sorry I can't display her name) go get the door. As she opened the door, she stood in shock and then a few seconds later she burst into tears and jumped in my arms. It was the most amazing feeling ever! So we went and sat on the couch to try to talk but she still doesn't know much English. So she ran off to her room and came back with the bible that Jeff and myself bought her a year ago right before we left to come home. She says she reads it everyday and that she reads the verse that I wrote inside the front cover of the Bible. The verse is:

 Romans 6:4 "For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives."  

It is amazing to see that verse come to life in her. A new life indeed that she is receiving and being blessed with because of her commitment to Christ and everyday passion and love for Him. I was totally blown away when I saw this bible again. Come on God! So good! I got to spend a couple hours with her playing connect four and I got to take photos with her. We even got Jeff on the phone with her so he and her could talk for a few minutes. That was an amazing feeling for Jeff. He wished he could have gone but felt totally blessed that he got to hear her little voice again on the phone. As we hung out, we shared different bible verses back and forth with each other and the one she has had on her heart for a while now is

Jeremiah 18:1-6 The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, "Go down to the potter's shop, and I will speak to you there." So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. but the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over. The the Lord gave me this message: "O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand. 


Talk about the cry of her heart. She wants to be made into whatever God wants to mold her into. Like I said, this little 11 year old is my hero!

When it came to leaving, we both didn't want this to happen. We both had tears in our eyes and we both said our good byes. As I drove home to Dickinson, I felt God's presence with me the whole drive home. Talk about the trip God took me on from the moment I got back from Africa in 2010 through the summer of 2011. Talk about the Master above all masters of great plans! I couldn't ask for a better Abba Father!

What I learned from this past year up to this point is to trust in the Lord with all my heart, soul, and mind with whatever I am going through or whatever He has called me to do. He will be right next to me through it all. You just never know what can happen in the end but I know it is always good.

Chicago Bound 2011

Today I leave for Chicago with some sweet Dickinson youth and leaders to meet up with over 180 other youth and leaders from across North Dakota, Montana, and Minnesota. We are heading into the south side projects and neighborhoods for a week. We are going to do work projects, vacation bible school, and youth and adult rallies. I have such an expectant heart right now! God is going to move in the people of Chicago and also in the  lives of the youth and leaders that are coming to bring the Good News!  God has a plan and it is good! I have been praying for Divine appointments for all and especially for myself. I want to be used by God to the fullest that God knows that I can excel at. He knows me better than I know myself! I will do whatever the Holy Spirit leads me to do this coming week! I will be used by God! We are called to go out among the nations and be His witnesses. (Acts 1:8) I want to do just that! I will go wherever you want me to go, I will say and do whatever you tell me to say and do because I know You are for me and not against me. I am with You heart and soul Lord. Lives are going to be changed! Greater things are still to be done in the city of Chicago! It is God's City!

Lord, You are my shield, my wonderful God who gives me courage. ~Psalm 3:3 

You are my protection Lord. Give me the courage, wisdom, knowledge, and strength to do all the wonders you want to do through me this week. Through you alone I can accomplish Your calling!

I can do all things through Jesus who gives me strength! Philippians 4:13


Keep us in your prayers! I'm excited to share many testimonies after our return June 27.

The wonders of God will manifest this week! I guarantee it! :)

Oh, that You would bless me indeed!

And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!" So God granted him what he requested. 1 Chronicles 4:10

The prayer that Jabez said in 1 Chronicles 4:10 has been a constant prayer I have prayed myself for over two years on my life. I am going to share some thoughts on the first part of that prayer.

                                                      Oh, That You would bless me indeed!


What a way to start a prayer! Some people might look at this beginning of this prayer as being "selfish". We spend a lot of our time praying for people's salvation, healing, blessings for other, and that God would bless our nation and other nations all around us. This isn't a bad thing at all! God wants us to pray for others and direct our focus on others and their needs. Do you think that God wants us to ask for blessings to come upon ourselves as well? I believe yes. A lot of people might look at this as being greedy or immature but I believe God wants to show us a prayer like this one in 1 Chronicles that is supremely spiritual and exactly the kind of request our Father God longs to hear us ask.

Jabez had quite the name. His name means "pain". His mother named him Jabez because of the very painful birth she went through in having him. Like I mentioned in my last blog that our names and meanings can be a part of our ministry and destiny God has laid out for us if we choose to live them out. Jabez obviously hated his name and knew nothing good could possibly come from his name and that his future was doomed because of his name. Jabez did grow up hearing about God and how He freed his forefathers from slavery, and rescued them. Jabez grew up believing that the same God of miracles and of new beginnings could do the very same in his own life and deliver him from the "pain" of his name. So what did Jabez do? He prayed the biggest, most improbable request imaginable: "Oh, that You would bless me indeed!" The vulnerability he had in saying that first phrase is amazing and encouraging! In Hebrew, adding "indeed" to this prayer is like adding ten exclamation points!!!!!!!!!! < see? I say that's a pretty big plea.

What does the word "bless or "blessing" truly mean? In the biblical sense, it means to ask for much favor that comes from the supernatural.

I think the word "blessing" doesn't get used to the very level it should and that we are called to use it when we ask for blessing upon others, situations, or even on ourselves. I am guilty of this myself. In the book by Bruce Wilkinson "The Prayer of Jabez" he states, "When we ask for God's blessing, we're not asking for more of what we could get ourselves. We're crying out for the wonderful, unlimited goodness that only God has the power to know about or give to us." Let our cries to the Lord be of this very statement. God knows the very best of what we need, deserve, and should want but it takes us asking and bringing down those "blessings" from heaven and bring them into our lives.

Proverbs 10:22 says, "The Lord's blessings is our greatest wealth; all our work adds nothing to it"
We should want that greatest wealth through His blessings! His blessings bring the most joy in life!

What I love about asking that God bless me indeed is that you are not asking for something in particular but you are leaving it up to God to send down that blessing that we need the most and that He has for us at that very moment or season in our lives. We should want what God wants for us. So ask! Ask our Abba Father for those things he wants for us. As I just wrote this last sentence the song "Deep Cries Out by Bethel Live" just started playing on my Itunes. This is what God wants. He wants us to jump into the River and trust Him in what He wants! If He goes to the right, we go to the right! If He goes to the left, we will go to the left! This is what the prayer is saying! We will do God's will and go where He wants us to go! Whoa! Thank You Holy Spirit for that just now!! Come on!!!

God wants to send an overflow of blessings in all His sons and daughters lives! It is His very nature to be be so giving unto us that are so unworthy! Talk about true Love people!

Excerpt: Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson


God's bounty is limited only by us, not by His resources, power, or willingness to give. Jabez was blessed simply because he refused to let any obstacle, person, or opinion loom larger than God's nature. And God's nature is to bless. His Kindness is recording Jabez's story in the Bible is proof that it's not who you are, or what your parents decided for you, or what you were "fated" to be that counts. What counts is knowing who you want to be and asking for it. Through a simple, believing prayer, you can change your future. You can change what happens one minute from now. 


I know I have seen God's blessings pour down into my life since I first read and started to say this prayer over 2 years ago. From my last blog of all that increase in my life in that list I made came from saying such a prayer as this upon my life daily. Do I think that this prayer is "selfish" No, because of me praying such a prayer, I have been able to bless and encourage so many people people along my life's journey since I started living for Christ again over 2 years ago. God used all those blessings I asked for not for my own gratification, but to share with others that needed me in such a time. Let this prayer be your daily prayer as you go along God's journey for you. I pray that God does bless you indeed!

I will blog later on the second part of that prayer. Thanks for following and taking the time to read what the Lord wanted me to share with you all! Love you all!

Accelerator has been punched!

The name "Joseph" means God will increase. 

It really seems like in the last few years that the meaning of my name has held true to its meaning. 

April of 2009- Major pruning happened in my life. I started waking up! Worked at Elk's Camp Grassick

January of 2010-I was asked to be on leadership for Chi Alpha Campus Ministry at DSU.

May-June 2010- Went on a mission trip to Ethiopia for a month to work and minister to kids in an orphanage.

September of 2010- Was asked to lead a men's small group bible study on the college campus for the year.

Janurary 2011- Asked by Pastor Josh Skjoldal to be on his youth leadership team. 

February-May 2011- I was asked to be the Youth For Christ Director for the Dickinson High School for the spring semester. 

May 2011-Starting Berean School of the Bible to become a certified minister. 

There has definitely been an increase happening in my life since I have taken the initiative and accepted Jesus back into my life in April of 2009. When I decided to commit my gifts, abilities, dreams, and whole life to God, he started a road for me, a road of increase. Before that moment in my life, I was going nowhere! I was running a race but a race on a treadmill. I wasn't getting anywhere. God wanted me to run a race, a race at a pace that would actually get me somewhere. A place of great Destiny! Looking back at this list I have just made and pondering it, I can't believe all that has happened in that time frame! Time has flown by. Looking at this list, God started out small. He knew my spirit was very sensitive back in the summer of 2009. He gave me a task, a new task to work at and that was working with kids with disabilities at Camp Grassick. God knows us better than we even know our own selves. God had a plan and he knew how to go about it to get me to where I am today. As my growth has happened through these past couple of years, my spirit and life has strengthened and I have noticed that when my spirit becomes stronger, God asks me to do bigger tasks.  Did I make some boo boos on the way? Oh yes I did! It was how I handled them this time in my life that made the real big difference. It was a way of a relationship with someone that knew how to work those situations out for my good. It was someone that knew how to love, give wisdom, knowledge, peace, restoration, and to give a great future. His name is Jesus Christ. He has never let me down no matter how many times I have let Him down on the highway of true life. By the grace of God, the awesome people that I have been in fellowship with and being mentored by some awesome men and women of God I am becoming the man God created me to be. I know I have a future in the name of Jesus! (Jeremiah 29:11)

I believe a persons given name from birth and its meaning can become part of the ministry God has in store for you and you only if you choose to walk for Him and to move in His calling for you. I know I didn't see much of an increase in my life before recommitting my life for Christ. I know I was falling deeper into a pit of darkness that I had no business being sucked into. (that is a whole other blog for another day...lol...) My prayer is that God continues to do increase in my life! I was reading 1 Chronicles 4:10 today and it says, Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request. I know God wants to bring increase down into my life. I know in order for that to happen I must continue to meditate in His word, have a steady prayer and devotion life, draw closer to Him, and to say prayers just like this one that Jabez said because I know when I ask, I will receive.(Matthew 7:7-8) All I want to do is to increase in a life and calling that God wants from me. This is my mission. 

The question I have for you is; Are you allowing God to move through the meaning of your name?

God Bless, 

Joseph "God will Increase" Stefalo