Destiny

As we read the Christmas story we read the prophetic words concerning the purpose for which John the Baptist and Jesus were born.

We also read concerning Jeremiah, " Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations."  (Jeremiah 1:4)

We may think that these people were extra special. Jesus was extra special in that He was God come in the flesh.  But John the Baptist and Jeremiah were merely human beings with a sin nature like you and I.  As was the case with these two men, God a had dream in His heart for each one of us when we were conceived.  There is a destiny in Christ that each one of us is called to from before we were conceived and formed in the womb.  This the case whether the conception was the result of a loving covenantal relationship, a one night stand, or even a rape.  God has a purpose for the life of each person. Each one of us has a part to play in the fulfillment of God's eternal plan.

God's purpose for some of the people of the Bible times are written in the book for us to read.  God has written a book about the days of each one of us even before we live them out.  What God has written about each one of us is not in print or on the internet for us to read. But we can tap into God's heart for us and live out our destiny.

Psalm 139:13-16 NKJV
    For You formed my inward parts;
    You covered me in my mother’s womb.
    14      I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    Marvelous are Your works,
    And that my soul knows very well.
    15      My frame was not hidden from You,
    When I was made in secret,
    And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
    16      Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
    And in Your book they all were written,
    The days fashioned for me,
    When as yet there were none of them.

Ephesians 2:10 NKJV
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 1:3-6  KJV
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 

God of Peace

Romans 16:20 ESV The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. 

The Greek word that is translated "crush" here and "bruise" in the KJV means to crush completely or to shatter.  It is the same word that is translated "broken to shivers" in Revelation 2:27.

Generally we would not think of peace and destruction of our enemy going together.  Yet in order to truly have peace our enemy must be crushed. Satan, the enemy of our souls is constantly seeking to disturb our peace. Satan is constantly at war against mankind. Therefore he must be crushed in order for us to have peace.

Our God is a God of peace.  He brings peace to His people by crushing our enemy.  Jesus, who is the Prince of Peace, openly disarmed and defeated Satan and his forces.  The fullness of that victory has yet to be enforced in our lives, but it will be shortly.  Stand firm in the victory that is yours in Jesus Christ and let the peace of God guard your heart and mind.  Let God of peace be the warrior He is on your behalf.

Colossians 2:15 ESV He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Ephesians 6:13-18 ESV Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. 

Philippians 4:6-7 AMP Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. 
7 And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 

Fear Not

Exodus 14:13-14  And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. 14 The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. 

At the Red Sea the nation of Israel had their backs up against a wall so to speak.  A body of water in front of them and their enemy pressing in hard behind them.  This enemy was one they thought they had just escaped from. Yet here the enemy was pressing in on them.  Even though the enemy was close enough to be seen, God set Himself up as a barrier between the Israelites and the Egyptian enemy. And God made a way for them to escape from the enemy that seemed to be hemming them in.  He will do the same for us.  

God will protect us as the enemy bears down on us and will provide a way of escape. In this situation God's command to the Israelites was to "fear not."  Sometimes that can be difficult. As we face difficult situations like this, we can choose to listen to God or give into our fear.  When we give into our fear it certainly does not help the situation at all.  Fear keeps our focus on the enemy and on the problem instead of on God who is the only one who can bring forth salvation in the situation. When we give in to fear we lack the peace and rest that is to be ours. In that state it is more difficult to hear God and to move with Him.  When our back is up against the wall and the enemy is pressing in hard, may we embrace the Word of the Lord and not walk in fear.  May we see the salvation of our God as He fights for us.  Victory is ours!

 "The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace and remain at rest."  (AMP Bible Ex. 14:14)  

Don't Kindle Your Own Fire

Isaiah 50:10-11 Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.  Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow. 

When we find ourselves in a dark place we must continue to trust the Lord and rely upon Him. When we find ourselves in a dark place it is not a time to kindle our own fire and walk in the light of that fire.   We need to stand still and continue to look to God until He shines His light into the situation. If we seek to come up with our own solution and try to do things in our own strength it will lead to sorrow.

What Is That In Your Hand?

When God came to Moses, He asked, "What is that in your hand?'  What Moses had in his hand was his shepherd's rod.  It was something he used every day in his occupation.  I believe God would say to many, "What is that in your hand?"  In the marketplace or wherever we are, God is asking us to use those every day things for the purpose of furthering His Kingdom.  The rod of Moses became the rod of God that was the instrument used in many mighty acts.  God is looking to perform many mighty acts through His people.  But we need to make ourselves available.  We need to spend the time before God and in His Word until we are endued with power from on high to go forth and do great exploits.  We may not deliver an entire nation as Moses did, but we can be used to see deliverance, salvation, healing come to individuals we come in contact with.

Exodus 4:2  And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. 

LIVING WATER

Jesus told the woman at the well that if she drank of the water that He would give her it would be in her a well of water springing up into everlasting life.  That well is within each believer.  It can be accessed at any time.  Sometimes we clog it up with sin, even as the Philistines stopped up the wells dug by Abraham.  Through repentance the well can be opened and the water allowed to flow once again. That water is available to refresh us and minister life to our beings.  It is also available to be shared with those around us so that they can obtain life and a well that can flow forth to others. 

John 4:10, 13-14 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.......Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

NO MORE CISTERNS

God is the fountain of living waters from which we are to drink and be refreshed.  To often we are like the people of Judah who dug cisterns to try to sustain them instead of looking to God.  The water from cisterns dug by the hands of man does not give life.  It may temporarily quench our thirst, but is lacking the life giving substance of the water that flows forth from God.  The cisterns leak and get stagnate and contaminated.  Religion is a cistern dug by man that does not give life. Man's ideas and fleshly attempts to satisfy his needs is a broken cistern.  The ways of this world are broken cisterns.

Father forgive us for the times we have dug cisterns with our own hands.  Forgive us for failing to come to You and drink of the water of life that flows forth from You.  Forgive us for the times we have tried to offer that water to those around us instead of Your life giving water.  Cause us to come daily to drink from You the fountain of living waters.


Jeremiah 2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. 

WILL NOT BE MOVED

Recently while waiting on the Lord I saw people standing under a canopy.  There was a strong wind blowing.  As the wind passed over it the canopy fluttered a bit, but it did not go anywhere. 

The people were unmoved by the very strong wind.  I heard these words, "the winds of change are blowing and everything that can be shaken will be shaken." 

The canopy was solidly anchored in rock and the people were standing on a solid rock.  The following scriptures came to mind:

Hebrews 12:25-29 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: ²⁶ Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. ²⁷ And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. ²⁸ Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: ²⁹ For our God is a consuming fire.

Matthew 7:24-25 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: ²⁵ And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

Psalm 62:2, 6-7 He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved..... He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. ⁷ In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

NEVER FORGOTTEN

Sometimes we may feel like God has forgotten us. Although it may seem that way because of how we feel or what we see going on around us, it is not true. Sometimes the enemy will be blasting that lie into our ears.  It is just that, "a lie."  The truth is found in God's Word and we can stand on that.  And at the times we feel forgotten or hear that lie in our ear we can declare the truth.  We must declare and stand on the truth of God's Word to us.

Isaiah 49:14-16 But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. 15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. 16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

Hebrews 3:5-6 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

FATHER'S FULL ATTENTION

Recently I was moved by the fact that my Father's full attention can be on me at the same time He is fully attentive to the billions of other people on the planet.

I believe that sometimes we think of Father God more in terms of our earthly fathers.  We think of Him in terms of the limitations and weaknesses and strengths of our earthly father. Yet Abba Father is far beyond what we have experienced in our relationship with our earthly father, no matter how wonderful our earthly father may have been.  Our earthly fathers still had limitations.  Our earthly fathers cannot be fully attentive to every child all the time and sometimes things get missed.

Thank you Abba Father for Your great love and for Your unbroken gaze upon me.  Your eye is always on me and looking for my gaze to be upon you so that we can have a face to face relationship. Your heart is always for me. Your desire is always toward me.

Proverbs 5:21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings

Matthew 10:29-31 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Song of Solomon 7:10  I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me.

Song of Solomon 4:9-10 Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. 10 How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices! 

Promises of God

I love rainbows. They always remind me of God's covenant and God's promises to me.  Whenever the conditions seem right to see a rainbow I am out with my camera looking for one.  Two night ago I wasn't looking for one and there it was.  I was out for a walk and on the way back home I looked up and there was a rainbow. Actually the entire rainbow was not visible. Both ends could be seen.  The middle section was obscured by clouds.  Even sections of the ends that could be seen were covered by clouds at times.  The portion that  could be seen would get more distinct and then it would fade.  I would head back toward the apartment and then the colors would get more vivid again.

As I thought about it, I thought what I was seeing in the rainbow is much like the promises of God to us.  No matter whether we see them in their fullness or whether they are partially covered and hid from us, they are still there.  No matter how clear and vivid they are to us at the present time or whether the promise seems to be fading unfulfilled, it is still there.  God's promises never fail. He is faithful.  What He has promised He will do.  Be encouraged!  Our God is a faithful, promise keeping, covenant keeping God!!

Take Up Your Sword

One morning recently, as I woke up, I saw a pile of swords that were covered with dust and cobwebs.  I heard, "This is the condition of the swords of too many of my people."  If that is the condition of your sword I would encourage you to pick it up dust it off and begin to use it.

Ephesians 6:13-18 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Different Eyes

When David came to the front lines where the giant, Goliath, had kept the armies of Israel cowering in fear, he looked with different eyes than the others.  Unlike the armies amassed there or the people of Israel at edge of the Promised Land in the past, David looked at the giant as a defeated foe.  David understood that he and the armies of Israel were in covenant relationship with the living God. David had experienced the victorious power of this God at work on his behalf and through him in the sheepfolds.  When he encountered this enemy on the battle field, David looked unto His God as he had at times in the past and took the down the giant that had kept the armies of Israel paralyzed for way too long.  There are giants that have kept us from victory and from moving on for too long.  We need eyes to see as God sees and faith in our hearts to believe God is true to His Word.  We are victorious warriors needing to enforce the victory of our Lord so that people will know the true and living God.

1 Samuel 17:23, 24, 26, 45-47 And as he (David) talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them. ²⁴ And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid. ^{............26} And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?...... Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. ⁴⁶ This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands.

Small In Our Own Eyes

Numbers 13:33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

Exodus 23:20, 27 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared...... I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.

There is a place that God has prepared for us in Him.  As we progress toward it, He has promised to go before us and to keep us on the way to that place. 

When the Israelites got to the edge of the land that God had promised to them, they focused on the giants instead of God's promise and the good things in the land.  When they perceived the giants in the way they did, they became less in their own eyes than God said they were. They did not see themselves as the victorious warriors God said they were. God said that He would go before them and would defeat their enemies.  They had seen God's power demonstrated over and over again and yet, failed to believe God.

When we see ourselves as small compared to the giants God has said we are already victorious over, the enemy will pounce on that.  Then we come into agreement with our enemy and he is magnified in our minds until we are completely paralyzed and kept from moving into our promised land. 

We need to believe God and look unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.  Much of our battle is within our own minds. 

2 Corinthians 10:4-5  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) ⁵ Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Believe To See The Coming Harvest

In recent years there have been many prophecies about the coming move of God and the great harvest that is coming in.  Some have been hearing it for years.  Some have seen stirrings come and stirrings go.  But nothing that has lasted or fully grew into what seemed to be prophesied.  For some the hope deferred has made their heart sick.  For some it has brought them to a place of lack of faith, saying "When I see it I will believe it."  But I believe God is saying, "You must believe to see."

Abraham was promised to be a father of a great nation, a people in number like the stars of the sky and the sand of the sea.  God came to him on more than one occasion making this promise.  Yet Abraham and Sarah were getting older and older until they passed the age of child bearing.  Along the way to the fulfillment of the promise they made an Ishmael by their own efforts.  Sometimes in the church people have produced something by their own efforts, but it still lacks the life of the real promise. 

After twenty five years the promise came forth. But in the mean time Abraham grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God.  I want to grow in faith until I see the promise fulfilled. I think giving glory to God, praising and worshiping Him in the mean time, is a key to growing strong in faith.

Romans 4:20-22 ESV No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, ²¹ fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. ²² That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.”

I believe what God has promised He will do. Even if I do not see the fullness of it I will press toward it and war for it and stand in faith to see it.  Perhaps it will not fully come until the next generation, but I still choose to believe God and stand in hope that I will be in the generation that sees and participates in the promised harvest of the end of the age.