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24 Apr

What If—These Are the Days of Your Destiny?

Man in Alley - FREE

   Are you bored? Lonely? Frustrated? Do these days seem like a repeat of the movie Groundhog Day in which each day was a rerun of the one before? Every. Single. Day. Yes? Then let’s play “What If?” 

   What if these unprecedented days in history are the prelude to your destiny? What if God is doing something in the midst of this agonizing isolation which, if you can perceive it, will launch you into the very purpose for which you were born? What if these days are opportunities—if we take them.

   We all want to fulfill our destinies, to do that thing we were born to do. The thing is, we often don’t realize what we’re asking. Do we really comprehend that destiny-chasing is going to involve a prep time—probably long, most likely painful, and definitely lonely? We’re required to “learn the ropes,” “do the grind,” “burn the midnight oil,” and “stay the course”—often in the midst of confusion, fear, fatigue, disappointment, isolation and even pain. Now, are we still willing to sign on to fulfill that mission in life?

                                You know what they say: “The greater the destiny, the longer the prep time.” 

Training  

   There is no job or ministry which doesn’t involve some type of training, whether it’s a formal post-secondary ed program, an internship, or simply a period of “working your way up” the ladder to more responsibility. But what if all of that takes time? 

   Joseph (Jacob’s son) spent years as a slave in Potiphar’s house in Egypt. Little did he know that he, a Hebrew, was being trained by God in Egyptian culture, language, and customs as well as in how to manage a large household (think business) and how to conduct himself around Egyptian nobility. But then it got worse. Joseph was sent to prison for years after being falsely accused of attempted rape. And what was the point of that little time-out? He learned how the “other half” lived: the working class, the poor, and the helpless. He encouraged them, supervised them, and set an example for them. All of these “chance” misfortunes were really God’s way of preparing Joseph to assist Pharaoh in leading and managing the economics of the most powerful nation in the world—a nation he previously knew nothing about. 

What if God’s training doesn’t always take place in a classroom? What if you’re in God’s classroom right now…?

 

Trust

   What calling doesn’t involve developing a solid and grounded understanding of who God is, a revelation of our identity in Him, a trust in Him that can’t be shaken, and a faith to move mountains?

   David, before he was king, spent sixteen years running from King Saul who wanted to kill him. And what had David done? Nothing. King Saul was simply jealous of God’s call upon David’s life. So David spent years running for his life and hiding in caves. He was often hungry, scared, and lonely.

   Nevertheless, he learned what we all need to learn in order to fulfill our destinies: an unequivocal and unshakable faith in God—no matter what. No matter that, every day, his life was in danger. No matter that he had powerful enemies, besides Saul. No matter that he was responsible for the care, feeding and safety of hundreds of warriors and their families. No matter what, David learned unwavering faithfulness, steadfastness, and trust in God.

What if, right now, you’re learning to trust God in the midst of circumstances that are frightening—even terrifying?

 

Character-building

   And what calling doesn’t involve everyone’s favorite: developing character and integrity? We can (and will) spend years while God “skims the dross” of our moral character until the gold shines through. Why? Because those who chase their destinies without concern for the quality of their morals, values, and principles first will end up hurting others. That’s not even a question.

   Moses endured forty years of character-building on the backside of the desert after murdering a Hebrew and fleeing for his life. He’d been raised in Pharaoh’s own household with all of the advantages which that brought with it and probably (I’m speculating) had a pretty healthy estimate of himself by his 40th birthday. From 40 to 80, he ended up tending sheep—probably not what he had envisioned himself doing; he ended up married to a shepherd girl—a far cry from the Egyptian princess he probably would have married; and he ended up leading a nation of poor, fugitive slaves—probably not the sophisticated and cultured nation he had intended to lead. But in the end, the Bible says that Moses was the humblest man who ever lived.

   What if you’re in the midst of people or circumstances which make you want to break something or hurt somebody? You might be. But learning not to is character-building.

If we don’t know that God will spend whatever time it takes training us for our destinies before launching us into them, we can fall prey to some very destructive mindsets which can derail us in the end.

Mindset #1: “I made a mistake—if I were supposed to be doing this thing, it wouldn’t be so hard or take so long.”

   Not true. Building knowledge of our work, trust in our God, and developing of our character takes time. Period. Whether something is easy or not is not the compass as to whether it’s God’s will for our lives. Ask David.

 

Mindset #2: If I were supposed to be doing this thing, there wouldn’t be so much spiritual warfare.

   Wrong. Maybe. Sometimes what we attribute to “the devil attacking” is really not. Sometimes things go wrong because we’ve violated a Biblical principle about how to do that thing. Sometimes it might be that other people are simply misbehaving and their behavior affects us. Sometimes it might be that we simply live in a fallen world and things go wrong. However, that said, it might be an enemy attack. If so, that is still not an indicator that you’re not supposed to be doing what you believe you were called to do. 

 

Mindset #3: If I were supposed to be doing this thing, I’d be better at it or more talented.

   Probably not. God loves to take the weak, the uneducated, the not talented (in that area) and raise them up to do what, for them, would be impossible in the natural. For example, how many stories have I heard through the years about people who were terrified to speak in public—and God made them preachers? Or people who hate to write—and God had them write a book?  Et cetera… And why does God do it this way? So that He gets the glory for what we do, not ourselves nor our natural talents. Message? If you can’t do that thing, don’t assume God won’t prepare you to do that thing.

   Bottom line: If it’s a desire of your heart, no matter how impossible or difficult it seems, it’s because God put that desire there and wants you to fulfill that destiny.

   And what if you do…?

 

  

Cynthia Noble
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