Three Myths About Your Destiny
Your Destiny Is Closer Than You Think
by Stan Smith
Your Destiny Is Closer Than You Think
by Stan Smith
How many meetings have you attended that promise breakthrough? We rightly hunger for destiny. We believe it's out there somewhere, a transcendent touch of God's kingdom. But destiny is not as far away as we think.The Bible tells of ordinary people who heard something from God that launched their destiny. Many scriptures suggest that God will do the same with each of us. For instance:
I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)
Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. (I Corinthians 2:9)
Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. (I Corinthians 2:9)
And of course there are more.
But sometimes we reach for the river and land in a swamp, just enough water to get wet, but not enough to swim in. Some settle back into low expectations. Others want the whole church to change. A few press through the difficulties and step up into God's highest purposes for their lives.
What does it take to press through and step up? It means we have to believe in our gifts when others don't. It means we have to keep sowing into God's purpose for our lives, even when it seems fruitless. And it means we have to remember that God's purpose is not just to bless us, but also to make us a blessing.
Many of us wait for our surroundings to change so our destinies can unfold.
It doesn't work that way. It begins right here, right now. And it begins by replacing some of the myths about destiny with truth.
Myth # 1 " 'God will make room for my gifts.' Many people believe this, but actually the Bible says exactly the opposite: 'A man's gift makes room for him.'
If you can't do what you are called to do where you are right now, you probably won't do it in better circumstances. Prove your gift in your limited sphere of responsibility, while it's still impossible.
When God called Joseph to leadership, He sent him into slavery and prison to develop his gifts. When He called Elijah to a prophetic ministry, He set him in an evil kingdom that forced Elijah to live in hiding. When He called Daniel to shape history through prayer, He sent him into captivity in Babylon, among the eunuchs.
It's not that God is hard-hearted. But the gifts He places in us are sturdy, able to grow in impossibilities. And there our gifts make room for us.
As a young minister, I read the story of Jonathan Goforth, the missionary to China. He was in seminary and wondered if he had what it took to succeed on the mission field. So he went into the slums, ministering door-to-door and whenever and wherever he could. In the final months of his schooling, his classmates were nervously wondering if a church would open its doors to their ministry. Jonathan by contrast was looking for a new pastor to take over the church he had already started.
Most of us are like Jonathan's classmates, waiting for the church to identify our gifts and make room for us. But a few like Jonathan Goforth are going forth outside the church and proving our gifts, without undermining the ministry God has given anyone else.
Myth # 2 ' "I won't be fulfilled until I get into my destiny." Actually, if you're not fulfilled now, you probably won't be if you step into a larger sense of destiny. Fulfillment is a paradox. It happens when we lose our lives to find them.
Almost every season of growth in my own ministry has begun with a season of following Jesus into a seemingly insignificant role.
We confuse destiny with success. Destiny isn't a title, a position, or a level of income. God may bring you into all of these things, but destiny includes your years of unrewarded and uncelebrated service in secret.
Like anyone else, I'd rather make money on a project than lose money. I'd rather speak to large crowds than small. I'd rather be well received than driven out of town.
But Jesus was immune to these issues. He seemed to be as comfortable ministering to one person across the breakfast table as ministering to a crowd of thousands. He seemed unperturbed when the thousands left Him after His message about eating His flesh and drinking His blood. He seemed to find as much purpose and fulfillment in being rejected as accepted.
If your destiny is to fulfill the will of the Father, you can find as much fulfillment in an obscure ministry as in being well known, just as Jesus did. If you think of destiny as success, it will always seem just a little beyond your grasp. You will never have quite enough.
Myth # 3 ' "God will cause me to come out on top." Many scriptures address this; I'll use just one: 'You shall be the head, and not the tail.' (Deuteronomy 28:13)
Many of us make this into a myth because we imagine that, it's all about me.' I'm going to be the head; the rest of the church is going to be the tail. Or my church is going to have revival; the rest of the churches in town are going to dry up. Or the churches that embrace my teaching are going to prosper; other churches will wither and blow away.
Actually, God has promised to make every Christian the head and not the tail. This promise is as much for others as for you. This means God doesn't have to strip other people of their destinies to bring you into yours.
Many people think they are the head if they have a position, and a tail if they don't. So they try to become the senior pastor, the chief intercessor, or the house prophet. Elijah never had any of these positions, but he exercised more influence than anyone else in his generation.
Of course, God does call people to positions of leadership, but destiny is always bigger than position. One man guards his position jealously and leaves a legacy of manipulation and control. Another uses his position to help others come into their inheritance. One maintains his position; one walks in destiny.
The key is to get our eyes off our own destiny and focus on the destiny of all of God's people. We take what we have and give it away, hoping that others can do more with it than we can ourselves. As Paul wrote to Timothy'
And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (II Timothy 2:2)
Paul spoke the language of greater purpose, not of personal fulfillment. He trained Timothy to think the same way. They thought about divine purpose and did what they had to do, whether it seemed fulfilling or not. This was their destiny.
Reality: if you are giving yourself to the purpose of God where you are right now, you are in your destiny.
The only way to break through into destiny is to believe you are in it already, and to give yourself to God with all your heart.
Like David, you may find that your destiny includes a few desert years. It may include victories in battle and rich encounters in worship. It may take you into leadership, and it may even include personal failure and seasons of restoration.
Perhaps you will be more influential in a few years, but you won't be more important to God then than you are now. Make today count; don't wait for tomorrow.
(c) 2007, GospelSmith
Itinerary
- Open Heavens School -- Every other Tuesday night at Shouts of Grace Church, 675 W Grand Ave, Grover Beach CA. Next meetings -- October 9 and 23. More info at www.gospelsmith.com/OpenHeavenSchool.html.
- October 3-6 --several meetings at The Lord's Table in Goldsboro, NC.
- October 14-- an equipping meeting during Sunday morning service, Los Osos Christian Church in Los Osos, CA.
- November 1-3-- Taking part in the "Awake, Arise, And Come Conference" at Agape Church in San Luis Obispo, CA. More info about this conference at www.btvwm.org/aac/index.htm.
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