Thursday, September 23, 2010

Revealing The Revelation: Desire vs. Destiny (re-post)


Revealing the Revelation: Desire vs. Destiny
For I know the plans I have for you, “says the LORD.” They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11


Do you ever wake up some mornings and declare, “This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it,” but somewhere throughout the course of the day that joy gets lost and your declaration becomes simple religious rhetoric? Do you often find yourself slipping into a blue mood for reasons beneath the surface of your understanding? Have you ever felt like you wanted to cry, scream or just have a fit of frustration? It is understandable sometimes when there are specific issues pressing, but when it’s not clear what the reason is, perplexity takes over.

I was explaining my feelings to a friend and he told me that there were some things in my life that I was not dealing with that were getting the best of me at that moment. I thought about it for a moment and immediately the Holy Spirit revealed to me that the undercurrent that was pulling me down was the struggle between my desires and my destiny. It was an astounding moment of epiphany. It was as if someone had just flicked on the light in a room of darkness.

Let’s first establish an understanding of the two words desire and destiny; we then can further understand their repelling forces. For the most part, our desires tend to be carnal by nature. The word desire is defined as: to long for or to crave, a sexual appetite, but don’t get stuck just on sexual appetite; it’s deeper than that. Desires tend to satisfy our flesh with temporary solutions to things that require permanent resolutions through spiritual revelations.

When we see things we want, we go after them without praying and asking God for direction and without consideration of how it may affect us in the long run. God gives us permission to do whatever we want to do, but warns us that not all things are beneficial. This means that some things will not line up with his divine plan and will end up costing you something. Some things will not benefit you as it relates to where God is trying to lead you. Think about if your job didn’t offer a benefits package; nothing would assist you in long term planning, financially or physically. How long would you continue to be content with just a bi-weekly check that satisfied your present situation, but did nothing for your future?

It is our desires that tend to get us into debt, bad marriages and situations that cause us to compromise our morals and our spiritual principles. It is often our desires that lead us into wilderness situations; Situations that cause us to wonder, “How did I get here and why am I here?”

I think back to when I was teenager/young adult and mother told me that I was living the wild life. At that moment I was really offended by that comment because I did not see anything that I was doing as wild. Yes, I partied with my friends, yes I stayed out late, yes I wasn’t as responsible with things that I should have been, but it didn’t seem wild to me because I was comparing what she said to some other things that other people were doing. I took a personal moment of reflection and I transferred the word wild to the acronym W.I.L.D (Whenever I Lose Direction). What my mother was implying is that I was not walking in my purpose, how I had no direction; every decision I made was for the moment from day to day. I was fulfilling my desires and delaying my destiny.

When God created us, He had a plan in mind and that plan is known as our destiny. According to Webster, our destiny is our inevitable fate; our predetermined course of events, which put simply means that there are some things that are going to happen along the way in life that have been purposely planted on your path for your growth and development. Everything is not going to look or feel good, but it will work for your good.

Some people think of destiny and say to themselves “If it’s inevitable then I can just do whatever I want and wait for it to come.” My questions when I hear this statement are “How do you want to finish?” In what condition would you like to be in when you cross the finish line? Do you want to walk, run, be carried or pushed across the finish line?”

Jeremiah 1:5 reads, “Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you.” Later in Jeremiah we find, “for I know the plans I have for you”, says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” God took time to think about you and me and in his thinking he mapped out the best plan for our lives. He made a detailed itinerary and agenda. He has purchased tickets, made reservations, and has secured transportation. All we have to do is show up.

The longer we continue to fulfill our desires we delay our destiny. It is not until we begin to desire what God desires for us that we stay on course with destiny. It is when we mirror God’s desires that we begin to get direction out of the wilderness and into the land of promise.

What God desires for us may not be as much fun as we would like it to be? What God desires for us may not keep us in the popular clique, but it is guaranteed to be the most beneficial and fulfilling thing we could ever do.

Father God, touch my heart and my mind so that I may begin accept the things that you desire for my life. Teach me to be obedient and faithful to the path that you have set before me. Continue to reveal to me who I am in you and continue to show me the way to walk. Keep me upright before men so that they see your work working in me. Father God, let the words of my mouth be acceptable and my actions accountable. It is in the name of Jesus I pray
Amen

DemondMaurice
Copyright 2007

1 comment:

MrMaN said...

Yo my dude,..I along with GOD and the Lord Jesus Christ am so proud of you. I love to read another man of GOD speaking the word my brother. I hope we are never apart for long, and if so may we always connect as one day we will be in heaven!