I had a dream recently. In the dream, I was in a troop (looking like a military unit), and I belonged to that particular troop. We were facing and warring against another troop, which belonged to the enemy. There were times we did some experiments in our laboratory, made mistakes, 'bombed', and as a consequence, our own laboratory and belongings were burned. It really did look foolish on our part. We were suffering losses, and were actually heading for a defeat. However, in the end, somehow we prevailed and had our victory. How we won, I didn't know. The dream ended there.
As I woke up from the dream, I was encouraged by the fact that in spite of the weaknesses (and foolishness) we had, we somehow prevailed and had our victory in the end!
And that's when I heard the Lord speak:
"Tell and remind My people that they are a people of destiny! They may have 'bombed' it at times, they may have stumbled, and even fallen down at times; but I will teach them to complete the race till the end! I am a God who has the final say!"
I then heard further:
"This is a time to receive a new strength to walk and keep walking in your God-given destiny!"
People of God, we are living in the end of days, and the spiritual war in these last days are real. The enemy is all-out to steal, kill and destroy God's destiny, calling, and vision for your life. And his aim is to rob you of your inheritance in God. But the truth is he will never prevail against you, if you don't give in.
In Philippians 1:6, the apostle Paul wrote, 'Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ'. Just as 'when God opens a door, no man can shut', and 'if a promotion comes from the Lord, no one can take it away'; it is the same with God's destiny for your life! If God has started it, no one can stop it!
What, then, is the meaning of 'destiny'? It simply means 'the future (or events) of a person that has been planned and purposed by the Lord'. Psalm 139:16 (NCV) says, '...All the days planned for me were written in Your book before I was one day old'. And Psalm 139:17-18 (NKJV) says, 'How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You'. You know what? You are precious, and special in God's eyes! And your life isn't an accident! You have a destiny, one that only you can walk in it!
Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) says, 'For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago'. You see? You are not just a face in the crowd, or a number among the billions on earth! You are God's masterpiece, made anew in Christ Jesus, so that you will fulfill all that God has planned for your life!
Psalm 37:18-19 (NKJV) says, 'The Lord knows the days of the upright, and their inheritance shall be forever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied'. The expression 'the days' here are 'yowm' in Hebrew, which can mean 'chronicles (a record of the events in one's life); the destiny in one's life'! I can therefore say the Lord knows the destiny of His righteous, and you (the righteous) shall never be ashamed in these last days!
Now that you know He has a destiny for you, some of you may ask, "How do I begin walking in my God-given destiny?"
Psalm 37:3-4 (NKJV) says, 'Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart'.
The word 'delight' here is 'awnag' in Hebrew, and it can mean 'to be happy with; to be soft (to be pliable, or easily bent)'. At the time of writing this psalm, David had seen life long enough (Psalm 37:25), and he concluded that no matter what had happened (in and around your life), keep putting your trust in the Lord and learn to 'be happy with' the Lord!
Have you ever asked what is the opposite of the word 'delight' in this verse? I did! I have sought the Lord, and I shall give you the answer now. The answer is 'blame'! In other words, blaming self, blaming God, or blaming others, for whatever that had happened to you! What then is the opposite of the word 'soft'? The answer, of course, is 'hard'! In other words, being hard on self, hard on God, or hard on others!
When you learn to stop the 'blame', and stop 'being hard', that's when you'll also see how good the Lord is, and how much He wants to give you the desires of your heart! You can't worship Him and trust Him with a blaming, hardened heart, can you? But when you delight yourself in the Lord and soften your heart before Him in worship, that's when you'll also see God's destiny and your heart's desires meet!
So, beloved of God, whatever had happened in your past, let not your heart be discouraged, and never compare with others. All is not lost, and it's never too late yet! He can redeem your lost time! To Him, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day! What man can achieve in a thousand years, God can accomplish it within a day! If you have 'stumbled', 'fallen', 'bombed', made mistakes in life, or even missed an opportunity along the way, the Lord wants you to know that He hasn't forgotten you! Psalm 37:24 (NKJV) says, 'Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand'. I am not encouraging you to make foolish mistakes (or to sin), but if somehow you have fallen into it (and you feel real bad about it), stop condemning yourself any further, turn over a new leaf, and let the Lord lift you up again!
Don't dwell in that self-pity or 'blame-game' any longer! This is YOUR time! There's an anointing being released to you right now! Take it! Receive it! Old things have passed away, and all things have become new! This is your time to receive a new strength to start walking in your God-given destiny! This is your time to declare that 'you will rise up stronger'! Yes, stronger than ever before! With God, you can! In Jesus' name! Amen!
