The Voice of Destiny

The Obstacles of Life

For the past eight years my ministry focus really shifted from trying to get people into heaven, to trying to bring heaven to earth through a life consecrated to Jesus Christ.  To me that is the destiny of every living human being.  It was the purpose of the Cross to remove sin so that each believer could then walk in the Kingdom of God here on earth as representatives, kings and priests of the King of kings!

One problem, life on earth!  There is a constant battle going on between what we see and experience here on earth and what we see and experience in the spiritual realm of God's Kingdom.  These two as Paul wrote are at war with one another.  What hangs in the balance is not your soul, but your destiny!  The fulfillment of why you were created in Him before the foundation of the world!  The obstacles are many, though each has been conquered in Christ, we still must face them in life!

Jesus had to face temptation and He defeated it.  So must we.  Jesus had to face leaving His Father to come to earth and at times we must face leaviing our families and friends to follow His will for our lives. Jesus had to face the death of friends and family.  So must we.  

Right now I am facing losing my mother to a battle with dementia and cancer.  The pain is real and can be an extreme distraction from what God is trying to do in and through all of our lives.  I am not trying to trivialize the lost of a love one.  What I am saying is that in this situation the Lord is desperately trying to reveal Himself to me, my Mom, my Dad and the entire family, but we can be so focused on the pain that we can't hear or see the love, mercy and compassion of our heavenly Father.  The very strength we need to face tomorrow is being cut off if we allow it to be!

I am not sure what you are facing today, but I know that the incredible love and mercy of God is there to carry you beyond the obstacles if we will focus on Jesus.  He overcame the obstacles facing the pain of life and fulfilled His destiny and He has promised to be with you so that you can do the same!  These words of Jesus speak volumes: "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."  (Matt. 3:15)

There are some things we have to go through in life in order to fulfill the will of God here on earth.  May we surrender to the plan and purpose of the Father.  The obstacles of life then become a pathway to our destiny!

Seeing the Future

I spoke for a moment on Sunday about vision and the ability to do something like hit a baseball traveling at a high speed (90 mph). Studies have shown that it is not because the pro athlete has faster reflexes than do you or me.  It is because they anticipate where the ball is going or in essence they see the future!

You can actually test yourself online. Test here.  "Hitting a major league fast ball means you must make a decision in two hundred milliseconds, which is almost half the flight time of the pitch.  And given that the window for actually making solid contact with a fastball is about five milliseconds, or 1/200th of a second, it's a wonder that anyone ever hits it. In fact, the only way to accomplish it - the technique that separates the expert from the amateur - is to see the future." Sports Illustrated, pg. 54 Article by David Epstein

I am not a baseball player! You may not be, but the success of almost any profession is to be ahead of the curve, to act before something happens. The great Wayne Gretsky was asked what made him the best hockey player of all time?  His reply was "Most players skate to the puck, I always skated to where the puck was going!"  A gift? Absolutely, but one you possess in Christ.

"But concerning the times and the seasons, breathren, you have no need that I should write to you...But you, brethren are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a theif." 1 Thess. 5:1,4

This is only one of many scriptures that help us to know that we have gifts that others don't possess. These spiritual gifts are to be used in life!  They are given to us to discern everyday decisions that impact our lives and the lives of others. There are numerous examples in scripture such as Noah, Joseph, David, Daniel, Paul, etc.  The ability to see the future has been a gift given to the believer so that he can do more than hit fastballs for homeruns.  There is much more at stake these days and you were born for such a time as this. Make no mistake about it, you have can see what others can't!  Are you smarter, more talented or have greater natural ability?  No.  You have the Holy Spirit, so by faith you can see the invisible and anticipate or see the future before it happens. Call them hunches, gut feelings, or prophetic impulses, you possess this gift given to you through Jesus Christ.

It is time to hit what others can't hit in life. See it before it gets here and hit a homerun! 

Prayer or Manipulation?

Recently my mother has been sick and in talking to my father I asked him how he was doing and was he praying?  He voiced his disappointment with God because he didn't feel that He was hearing or answering his prayer.  Mainly because my mother is not getting better from what we can see.  I make sure I phrase it that way because God is always doing something, but it may be beyond our understanding. 

I think we can all remember a time when we have gone to the Lord in prayer, but felt God simply wasn't listening based on what we were asking and what we were seeing.  I was quick to encourage my father with the typical "You just have to trust the Lord."  I know it is the truth, but not exactly what you want to hear when your heart is crying out for the one you love.

So I went to the Lord and asked "What is the difference between standing in faith and making a prayer request an idol?"  When your prayer is an idol you are trying to manipulate God to give you what you are asking for! You are adament with the Lord in both situations and you could also say you are asking in faith. His reply was quite simple.

"When you stand in faith your focus is on Me (God).  When you make your request an idol your focus is on your request and receiving what you have asked for."

In the first stance in prayer you really are trusting God that He knows best.  In the latter stance you simply want what you want in a sense saying "I know what is best for my life or the life of another."  Interesting enough God will answer both prayers, but the results can be quite different.  If you go with trusting God, His ways are always best even if we don't think so.  When we receive our way we often suffer things that we never anticipated and it usually isn't good.

Believe me I want my mother to be healed and I am standing in faith believing for God's best.  I have come to realize that Jesus really does want what is best for me and for my mother.  I have given up trying to understand why some people are healed and others are not.  I have chosen to focus on the love my Heavenly Father has for me and that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purposes.  That is the voice of destiny for my life and for yours.