Destiny, by Minister Gabriel Adunmade
Text: Rom 9: 11-16. Nothing separates like destiny. You have a destiny and you have a destination. (20 children can’t play together for 20yrs). You will fulfil your destiny and you will reach your destination IJN. The word destiny mean different thing to different people.
Some people believe that destiny of an individual has already been concluded and that nothing can change it. (Ayanmo ko gbogun, akosile ti gbe). They believe that somebody who died in plane crash has been destined to die that way, or whoever succeeds in life has been destined to succeed irrespective of the effort he or she made.
Some other people believe that individual destiny is in individual hand, in other words, you can determine your destiny in life, what you want to become in life. It is your hand that you will use to make or mar your destiny.
A man called William Bryce said, destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice, it is not something to be waited for, and it is something to be achieved.
English dictionary described destiny as “something that is to happen or has happened to a particular person or thing, the predetermined, usually inevitable or irresistible course of event”.
All these are man’s ideology or man’s opinion about destiny. They are all fact but not the truth (facts are not always the truth).
Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, He has the final say on destiny.
Now let see what God says about your destiny and my destiny.
Roman 8 vs 29-30 “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified”.
Eph. 1 vs 4-5 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.
God has already predestinated us that we will SUCCED in life, EXCEL in life, MAKE it in life, FULFIL in life, PROSPER in life and at the end of it all, reign with Him in glory.
In other words, something happened before you were conceived and born. God has already decree that you will fulfil your destiny and nothing can change it except of course you.
Before this happens, before you can fulfil your destiny, there are certain things we need to know and appreciate:
The journey to your destiny begins the very day (moment) you are born.
The interesting thing is that at that moment, Devil our number one enemy will begin to try all he could do to truncate that destiny. But he is a liar, as he has been failing, he will continue to fail in Jesus name.
As I said the journey to destiny begins the very day one is born to this world, it is that very day that individual begins to have enemy.
(An olden day artist chief commander Ebenezer Obey now evangelist in one of his songs stated that the very day a new baby is born, he begins to have enemy)
We will use three prominent people in the bible as our case study; Moses and Jesus Christ and Joseph
The first enemy Moses had was king Pharaoh who sought to kill him and bury his destiny forever.
But because God had a great assignment for Moses, to lead the Israelites out of the land of bondage which no enemy whatsoever can change.
In like manner, God has assignment for you which you must carry out either enemy like it or not. And you will carry it out in Jesus name.
Another man was the man Jesus Christ, His no one enemy the very moment he was born was the king as well, king Herod.
He pretended to be happy with his birth and God ordained assignment for him to deliver mankind from destruction.
But Herod was looking for way to kill Him and thwart his destiny for ever, but behold he fail.
What do you think would have become of man if King Herod has succeeded in killing Jesus Christ? It is better imaging than experienced. Yet God wouldn’t have allowed it to happen.
The number one enemy of both Moses and Jesus were the kings, nevertheless they failed.
That suggest to me that no matter how highly placed, no matter how influential or important your enemy are in the society, they will not SUCCED in thwarting your God ordained destiny.
The 3rd person was Joseph. His enemies who were against fulfilling his destiny were his brothers. “Behold the dreamer cometh, let us kill him and see how he will rule over us”. What a foolish and wicked thought.
I am a living witness, in the process of household enemy truncating my destiny; they killed my mother when I was just 17yrs because they knew she was the backbone of my education. My mother was a business woman even though she did not go to any school of business studies. She will go to buy rice from famers in the farm, process it to become uncle bens (polished rice).
She will sell it to schools and restaurants and use the money to pay my school fees whenever I was driven away from school for fees because the Principal would not wait till my father sell his farm product (cocoa and kolanut).
Despite her untimely death, I am still what I am today and I am not there yet and I will get there just as you too will get there IJN.
FOUR PRINCIPLES about destiny.
1. You can’t manufacture your destiny, you can only discover it. It is already in God’s record what He wants you to become. Going the opposite direction like Jonah will only lead to unfulfilment and disaster.
2. From stand point of the scripture, there are 3 important Holy Spirit inspired tools to discover your destiny or else you will go to herbalist to help you discover your destiny or even false prophet, and of course they will find one for you.
The 3 tools are:
A. Vision from God. The revelation will just come somehow and you will catch it.
B. Dream like Joseph. We all know the story very well. You just have to be sensitive and pray for gifts of discernment and discerning spirits.
C. Prophecy (real one from above, not environmental prophecy). Example is that of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The birth of Jesus and what He will become was prophesied by prophet Isaiah more than 600yrs before He was born.
Isaiah 9 vs 6-7 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this”.
3. God will not hide your destiny from you and expect you to fulfil it. (The secret of The Lord belong to those who fear Him)
4. Once you have discovered your destiny, it is in your own interest to know and to embrace that the author of destiny is the accomplisher of same. He is the one who supplies the grace to fulfil it.
Finally, to finish well and finish strong, 5 things you must know and do:
1. Do not allow the events of life to side-track you (have focus). Hebrew 12 vs 2 “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith”.
2. Do not allow the burden of expectation of other people to weigh you down. The most difficult thing to be in life is what other wants you to be. You can’t satisfy everybody. Do your best and leave the rest. (The man the horse and the people by Ebenezer Obey)
3. Man and woman of destiny must act as such regardless of those mocking, rebuking or discouraging them. For example, David realised his God given assignment. Even though Elias said to him, I know the naughtiness of your heart, How did David responded, what have I done now? Is it not for a cause.
4. You must not compromise your stand or look for a short cut to fulfil your destiny in life so that you don’t short circuit your life (don’t create a golden calf for yourself)
5. Man and woman of destiny must understand their boundary and spiritual jurisdiction, so that they don’t die before their time. (Don’t. craw into another man’s boundary (like Saul who did what Samuel was supposed to do because of people) 1 Sam 13 vs 8-10
In conclusion, God has predetermined your destiny; you need to discover it through His leading and grace. Depend on Him to fulfil it.
Your destiny is to fulfil the purpose of God for creating you. And you will fulfil it IJN.
PRAYER
1. Oh Lord, let not the enemy truncate my destiny in life.
2. Oh Lord let me not deep my hand into anything that will truncate my destiny.
3. Destiny killer will not cut my life short; I will not die before my time IJN.
Sermon preached by Minister Gabriel ADUNMADE on August 24th, 2014.