DESTINY

What do you do when God shows you a great dream or gives you an incredible prophecy? He always reveals a glorious end, but never really highlights how or what it will take for us to arrive at greatness. The Lord slowly begins to instruct, giving us the green light to forge forward, leading us to certain places that, when we finally arrive, turn out to be nothing like we’ve imagined.

Have you ever been in a situation where nothing seems to be working in your favor? Oftentimes we wonder whether we misheard God, or whether we may have missed Him altogether. Well, beloved, I need to tell you what much of destiny is about in one word …unpredictable.

But because God’s desire is for us to succeed, in His goodness He has painted a picture of an extraordinary future to help build our faith so we won’t lose hope in the process.

Speaking of the process, first and foremost we must understand it’s His plan—that is to say, a reality unknowable to man—orchestrated by His hand, divinely shown to us piece by piece, to be taken by us, as humans, step by step. With this in mind, it’s beneficial for us to remember that while God doesn't need our assistance, our cooperation is essential. As children of the most High, we needn’t even think about trying to figure out our destiny! We are only to obey His voice; He determines the outcome. Nonetheless, it’s in those piece-by-piece moments of life where we struggle most.

I want to encourage you by telling you there is a remedy for our struggle—trust. Trust protects us from the fiery darts of doubt and fear so that we can remain focused on the task ahead. The element of trust will set your heart and mind at peace. Proverbs says:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not to thy own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5–6, NKJV).

Leaning to your own understanding is a costly mistake that will surly take you off track. Don't even think about going there, you must stay in line with the Lord'

will!

Now, the moment you relinquish control and decide to trust, God will open Himself up to you in a whole new way, revealing His secrets to triumph and victory. It is then, beloved, that you will begin to understand His ways, timing, and seasons that are necessary for the purposes intended. Listen; there is a journey set before you. Take note; at the end of the above passage, the word “paths” is used in the plural. By definition it is a well-trodden road (Strong’s #734) or a wayfaring (man) (#732); in other words, a traveler on foot. The meaning of this passage speaks to the fact that we are a process in motion. God puts us, by design, on many different and difficult paths throughout life to purge the dross from our heart. Moreover, there are no short-cuts. At times it may seem as if you’re on a never-ending scenic route, but it is all a part of His plan.

But here’s the good news! Along the way, He pours upon us divine grace that somehow allows us to appreciate the steps in the journey simply because we have embarked upon the wonderful realization that God is orchestrating all things for our good. Remember, you are His son (daughter), you are the called, who loves God. Moreover, according to Romans 8:28, His ultimate plan is to conform you into the image of His dear Son, Yeshua; this is the ultimate blessing for all who love Him. It is through this very image, by working through you to bless others, that He gets the glory.

Through my personal experiences in walking with the Lord, I have come to know that destiny can cause us to experience uncommon predicaments we’d never dream of, all for the sake of divine purpose. For example, there was a point in time that I became homeless. Even with all my talents and skills, my life was caught up in a tailspin. Following is an insert I’d like to share with you from my book, Rising Like the Sun.

How did I get here? Could this be real? Homelessness is something I thought I’d never encounter. Like the tale of Alice in Wonderland, it was

as if I had walked along one day and fallen into a dark hole, except this was not a dream. The Lord already had me in a very hard place, yet it was a good place because I could see His hand at work everywhere I turned.

God has a way of taking you through the worst to get to your best. This was my wilderness experience. Everyone has to go through it for discipline purposes, so I wanted to make sure that I kept my attitude in check. I didn’t want to wander in the wilderness any longer than was scheduled. To my amazement, it was in this season that the Lord revealed audibly the purpose for which I was called. It left me astonished for weeks. This was the second time in my life I’d heard His voice in this manner. The thought of the experience causes me to tremble all over. People who say they hear the voice of God and act very nonchalant about it make me wonder.

Moving on with my story, I found myself out on the street, sleeping in the backseat of my car. I was parked on the side of the road, eating out of a can. I was thankful to the Lord that it was wintertime. I don’t think I could have survived the sweltering summer heat of Phoenix. My eyes were opened to a whole new walk of life I hadn’t really seen before. I mean sure, you see a few transient persons in passing and wonder how they got there, and then the thought passes. This was different because it was me.