INTO YOUR DESTINY

Pastor Randy Barnett, Oklahoma

 

     Most of us Christians usually launch a new year with a revived hope for the upcoming twelve months coupled with a fresh determination to rise to higher heights spiritually. That is a good thing. Please allow me to help move you higher with words from the Lord.

 

     I just returned home from an extended ministry campaign in the Philippines where I was privileged to minister to hundreds of pastors and church leaders. The theme for our 2007 Pastors Conferences was INTO YOUR DESTINY; perhaps that is why it is still fresh on my heart to deliver to you a word of encouragement and instruction on the same subject. I have the same desire for you that was in my heart for those men and women of God who stand in the pulpit every Sunday morning, and that is that you will fulfill your Kingdom destiny.

 

     My guess is that most Christians actually do not fulfill the plan of God for their lives, sadly enough. Why is this true? There are undoubtedly many possible reasons but I want to address one particular issue that I have observed in many people over almost 3 decades of ministry. Have ears to hear.

 

    Let’s look at this thing called obedience. Please know that the tie between your obedience to God and your destiny are strong. I see something in some folks that, quite frankly, puzzles me. They have an expectation that God should bless them and reveal His plan for their lives in spite of the fact they continually fail to do what is right – what the Word of God says. For example, there is the man who refuses to be generous toward God yet he is outspoken about wanting to prosper financially. He knows it is the will of God for covenant people to prosper yet he is frustrated that he cannot get there. He has been shown by God that He desires for him to be a conduit through which great wealth can pass into the Kingdom of God. Whether or not he fulfills God’s plan for him depends entirely upon him; it depends upon his willingness to obey God in the small things like consistent giving and tithing.

 

     Or, what about the woman who has been called to be a teacher of the Word of God to the Church? She loves the Bible and believes it is true. She accepts the doctrine of divine health according to III John 2 and Romans 8:11. She also understands the power of her words and declares daily that she is healed by the stripes of Jesus. Yet, she continues to have serious health issues; she just cannot seem to get on top of things physically. This precious woman refuses to control her sexual appetite? She has been intimately involved with several men. Will she ever truly experience the promise of health? Will she stand in the sacred desk and proclaim the truth of God as a teacher of the Bible? No she will not unless she first chooses to make some changes. She must first obey God then she will experience the fulfillment of His promises and His calling on her life.

 

     These two examples point to this simple yet dynamic truth: We must first obey what we know is truth (John 17:17) then we will see God’s plan for our lives fulfilled.

 

     When we speak of doing what is right we understand that we all are but flesh and blood, earthen vessels that are imperfect and still under construction. So in this teaching we are not advocating that some level of perfection is the prerequisite for fulfilling your Kingdom destiny. If God waited to find a perfect man with which to cut covenant, Abraham would not have been chosen. There simply are no perfect Christians. But there must be believers whose hearts long for the pleasure of the Lord enough to strive to please Him, and that only comes as we obey Him. In fact, our level of obedience to His Word measures our love for God.

 

     One young man talked about his plan to do great things for the Kingdom of God. His vision sounded wonderful to me and I rejoiced that he had seen it. However, there was a knowing within me that until he took care of things spiritually within himself, his vision would go unfulfilled. Before God can entrust to you the higher things (spiritual things) you must first prove yourself to Him with good stewardship of the lesser things. (physical things) Our human tendency is to try to be master over much without being found faithful in the small things.

 

     My encouragement to you is to do some introspection right now. Allow the Spirit of God to reveal any area(s) of your life that needs some fine-tuning. Whatever He shows you, make the necessary changes regardless of the cost. This repentance will be your first step toward fulfilling the plan of God for your life. I believe you will obey the Lord, and I also believe you will rise into your Kingdom destiny!

 

    

    

RANDY BARNETT MINISTRIES