I think we as Christians sometimes forget the verse in James that says, “…faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:17) Faith is pointless if it doesn’t require action of us. Yet we treat our destiny this way sometimes. I think many have believed that their destiny will find them or that God will just work all of their wrong decisions and mistakes out for good and get them where they need to be in the end. He certainly does work all things for our good (Romans 8:28) but I also know you can walk outside of God’s will because I’ve been there before, and let me tell you, it ain’t fun. We have to learn to fight for our destiny because there is an enemy fighting day and night to keep you out of it.
Think of all the times the devil has tried to come for your life. Most of you reading this are probably old enough that, at some point, you’ve had some kind of near-death experience. Maybe you were in an accident or almost in one. Maybe you’ve suffered a life threatening illness, maybe you attempted suicide, maybe an alcohol or drug addiction almost took your life, maybe you escaped another kind of accident. For me, I almost drowned in the ocean at 17 years old and I know calling on the name of Jesus is the only thing that saved my life that day.
Most people will just attribute these events as “freak accidents” or “bad decisions”, and our decisions are certainly a factor, but I’m telling you, friend, the devil is real and if God has a call on your life (which he does for everyone), the devil’s number one assignment is take you out. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” I’m not trying to give any glory to satan whatsoever, but rather expose the plans of the enemy (Ephesians 5:11-13). One of my favorite prophetic voices Nate Johnson said this in a prophetic word, “The only permission the enemy has is what you give him by complacency, apathy, or agreement. Decide to stand up and not let him keep robbing you of your greatest commodity.” Come on!!!
Too many Christians want to pretend the devil doesn’t exist anymore and attribute bad things in life to “chance”, and even worse, some people want to attribute death and sickness to God! I can’t get into that now because I will write a whole separate blog, but if you think death or sickness come from God, go read the New Testament. The first step to overcoming anything is recognizing it’s a problem. Once the Church comes out of denial that the devil is still scheming, we can begin to recognize his tricks and fight him with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17).
Imagine if every believer fought as hard for their destiny as the devil was fighting to steal it from them. Talk about “Your Kingdom come your will be done.” can I get an amen? You want to know how God’s Kingdom is gonna come to earth? You and me! Tag, we’re it! The Church, the Ecclesia is the Kingdom of God manifest on the earth. So many Christians are not living out the call God has on their lives and not only are they missing out on the FAVOR and BLESSINGS that come with obedience, but others are missing out because YOU have something the world needs! Let me say, God does not call every single Christian to be a pastor, prophet, worship leader, missionary, etc. But God does call every believer to be the “salt and light of the world” (Matthew 5:13-14) So whatever sphere of influence in which God has commissioned you, that is your mission field. I’m so glad Romans 12 describes the Church as the body of Christ, not a building with four walls. It’s high time for the Church to get outside of the building and get into the world around us.
If you’ve missed God somewhere on your journey, it’s okay, we all have at some point, I mean look at Jonah. The thing is with Jonah’s story, while in the belly of a giant fish, Jonah repented and surrendered to God. Imagine if he still, after being swallowed by the big fish, hadn’t repented and surrendered to God. Who knows, he may have never gotten out of that great fish and God would have found someone else to go to Nineveh. One thing I’ve learned about God is, his will on earth must be accomplished, and he so desires to use us. God will even go to the lengths of having a giant fish swallow someone to redirect them. However, because he’s given us a free will, God will never override our free will. He will give us second chances, but if we continue to refuse God, he will find someone else. I’ve heard before that Reinhard Bonnke, the great evangelist to Africa, said God had called others before him, he was just the first one to accept the call.
I don’t know about you, but I want to be used by God! I want to accept his call no matter how wild and impossible it might seem. Christine Caine often says, “Impossible is where God starts.” If we could do the thing he’s destined for us to do on our own, we wouldn’t need God. That’s why it looks impossible. I want to ask you today, where’s your faith? Is it rooted deep in the Word of God and His promises or is it in your own ability, education, or resources? If it’s not in the former, you’ll never be able to reach your destiny. Contrary to the New Age thought plaguing my generation, you can’t just “manifest” your own destiny. You might be manifesting some demons, but you can’t manifest God’s destiny for you on your own. The world will tell you that you can, but you can’t. Everything God does is always for our good and His glory. This keeps us from developing a God complex and we get blessed and it can draw others to salvation in Christ! Where’s the catch? There isn’t one, that’s just how good God is. I want to encourage every person reading this, God has a calling on your life, your life has purpose, and you have a destiny in Christ. Seek the Lord in the Word and in prayer and when he tells you to take action, move.
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