Living In Divine Destiny (Part 2)

GOG - 20 293: Living In Divine Destiny (Part 2)

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Living in

Divine Destiny (Part 2)

Pastor Nkechi Ene (Mrs.) In the rst part of this article, we looked at some keys to living in divine destiny. In this part, I will be showing you three more keys to living in divine destiny.

1 It came to pass after these things that the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt.

2 And Pharaoh was angry with his two ofcers, the chief butler and the chief baker.

3 So he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was conned.

4 And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; so they were in custody for a while.

23 Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

Genesis 40:1-4,23 1 Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river.

14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh.

Genesis 41:1,14 17 He sent a man before them—Joseph— who was sold as a slave.

18 They hurt his feet with fetters, He was laid in irons.

19 Until the time that his word came to pass, The Word of the LORD tested him.

20 The king sent and released him, The ruler of the people let him go free.

21 He made him lord of his house, And ruler of all his possessions, 22 To bind his princes at his pleasure, And teach his elders wisdom.

Psalm 105:17-22

Discern The Seasons To live successfully in divine destiny is to discern the seasons. Psalm 105:19 says, “Until the time …” The meaning of that word time as used in that Scripture is proper time, appointed time, season. It is a Hebrew word in the Old

Testament that gives a picture of an opportunity or season. You've got to recognize that living in divine destiny is living in seasons. The Scripture tells us in Psalm 105:1 that, after two full years Joseph's word came to pass. Your season will come to pass.

You may say, “Well, are you telling me that there are good seasons and bad seasons? So, how can you tell me seasons are about opportunities? There are several natural seasons such as winter, summer, and autumn”.

Every season you nd yourself in is an opportunity. It might be a challenging season; it might be one you didn't expect to nd yourself in, but there is surely an opportunity in that season. You've got to discern the seasons because seasons are very powerful.

The Scripture says, Joseph was conned, but when the season changed, he was set free.

Seasons are so powerful because the change of a season can pick you from a place of connement to a place of freedom. One minute, you are in connement, the next day, you are in freedom. One day, it's raining, the next day there is harmattan all over the place 41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 Saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

43 For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 44 and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Luke 19:41-44

The word time in Luke 19:44 is a Greek word

in the New Testament, which means a season.

So, Jesus was saying, they did not know the season of their visitation. It also means an opportune or seasonable time and opportunity.

Basically, it's the same meaning as what we saw in the Old Testament. Now, there is a word that is sometimes used in the Greek for time and this word we are looking at was used by Jesus in Luke 19:44, the word kairos.

There is also a word that is sometimes used in the Greek and that is the word chronos.

Understanding the difference between chronos and kairos is key to really appreciating what it means to live in divine destiny. Chronos speaks about duration or length of time. Chronos implies the quantity of time, while kairos is really about the quality of time. Chronos talks about a period of time but that's not what we are talking about here. A remarkable thing about kairos is that it is marked by certain features. The Bible says that Jesus wept (John 11:35). Many times, when we talk about Jesus weeping, we remember Him at the grave side of Lazarus and we say it was compassion.

Jesus also wept when the people could not recognize their season. That tells me that it is as bad as a grave situation, when you cannot recognize your season. It is critical to recognize your season for you to live in divine destiny. Naturally, you are not shocked when seasons change because there were certain features that had started announcing the coming of that season. It therefore takes sensitivity to see the features of a coming season. Certain things announce the seasons in your life and it is very critical that you discern the opportunities that God is sending your way. It is so critical that Jesus wept when the people could not recognize their season.

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GOG - 20 293: Living In Divine Destiny (Part 2)

Some people take stupid decisions and walk right out of their seasons. God wants you to be in a particular place at a particular time, doing a particular thing, but you cannot recognize the season, when you cannot recognize the features. You may say, “Well, I don't like this, so I left my job; I don't like that so I left my church”. No! Jesus weeps when you don't recognize the opportunities that He sends your way because living in divine destiny is living in seasons. Your future lies in your recognizing the features that will come your way. Life is about seasons. It might be a season of challenges but hallelujah, you will rise again because God has given you the victory. It might be a season to sow for you. An opportunity can come in different ways, and you need to recognize them. The Bible says, as long as the earth remains, seed time and harvest won't cease (Genesis 8:22).

You might even still be in your job and God says to you, “Keep working, keep at what you are doing”, but you know there is a call of God upon your life. Discern the seasons, and know when God wants you to serve in a particular way, and when it is time for you to leave. Opportunities will surely come your way. Seasons are not mystical: they will always be marked by certain features.

That's why Jesus said you should not be ignorant. You should watch for the signs of the times. He cannot tell us exactly when He is coming back but you will know when the season begins to change. You will recognize the last days and will not be shocked if Jesus comes tomorrow because the signs are here.

Declare God's Wisdom Psalm 105:19 says, “Until the time that his word came to pass”. I like that. Do you know why I like that so much? It doesn't say “The Word”. It says, “His word”. The word in your mouth is a trigger for the next phase of your divine destiny. Actually, God's Word has already come to pass positionally. So, it is until my word comes to pass. It was Joseph's word that came to pass.

That tells me that when he was in the season of connement, his word constantly was his dream. He would have been talking about all that he dreamt of. I can imagine Joseph in prison sitting down after a year and then two years. He would have been there thinking: “But, Lord, I remember that dream. You told me … I saw it”.

When you are in a season of challenges and it looks like you are conned, put the Word in your mouth. It is the word in your mouth that will pull the trigger, spark up and catalyze the next stage of your divine destiny. A lot of

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Christians are waiting for God's Word to come to pass. You need to know that your word will come to pass. If your word has been that of complaining, crying out or fear, you need to change it because if you don't, it will come to pass.

At the appointed, Pharaoh sent for Joseph.

The Bible says, he shaved himself and changed his clothing. He began to do what he had been saying; he began to dress and look like someone who expected the sun, the moon and the eleven stars to bow down to him. He was expectant. He dressed good and walked into the palace of the king. He walked into his divine destiny. When Joseph nished interpreting Pharaoh's dream, he recommended a solution. He could have stopped at just interpreting the dream and asked to return to Potiphar's house, but he declared God's wisdom.

33 “Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt.

34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint ofcers over the land, to collect one-fth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years.

Genesis 41:33-34

The Bible tells us in Acts 1:1 that Jesus began to do and to teach. He didn't just teach. A lot of ministers today, are just teaching without doing. For those who want to get into the ministry, the pulpit part of the ministry is just ve percent of the job. When you speak God's Word, you make it audible but when you do God's Word, you make His Word visible. Now is the time not just to make God's Word audible but visible as well. The king of Egypt realized there was nobody as discerning and wise as Joseph.

The wisdom of God far supersedes the wisdom of this world. When you declare and you begin to do what you've been saying, your dream will come to pass. No wonder the Bible says, When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, they were like them that dreamed (Psalm 126:1). They

had been dreaming of their freedom.

If you are in any eld of study, aim to be the best in that eld but remember that there is a wisdom that all other human wisdom bows to, and that is the wisdom of God.

Defy Mediocrity Mediocrity is the usual, normal, average way of doing things. When you declare God's wisdom, you will inadvertently defy mediocrity because God's wisdom puts you at the point of excellence.

Mediocrity is when you stick to the way things are done normally and refuse to go the extra mile. To live in divine destiny, you've got to defy mediocrity. Joseph had got to be operating in divine wisdom. He was an ex-prisoner who stood the risk of being thrown back into prison. Defy mediocrity in every area of your life. Take the step above the average, take the step above the normal and God will lift you in your destiny above the normal and above the average. To experience all the awesome things God has shown you, begin to take steps towards them. Lift up your eyes and see what God has in stock for you.

Lift up your eyes and realize that God has an awesome plan for your life. Lift up your eyes and realize that God is no respecter of persons.

When God tells you to do a little more than the normal, take those steps of excellence. When you take steps that are unusual and unheard of, you will enjoy a destiny that is unusual and unheard of.

You are the hope for the world, and even Christianity, because you choose to defy mediocrity. Make a decision to defy mediocrity and take a step above the average. Joseph was a man who dared to dream, he depended on integrity, determined his harvest, discerned the seasons, declared God's wisdom and dared to defy mediocrity. He governed the wealthiest and most sophisticated nation at that time because he lived in his divine destiny.

You can be a Joseph of your generation.

Now is the time to key into your season and declare God's wisdom. Take your eyes off what has happened in the past and begin to live in divine destiny.

The Carpenter’s Church, Greenville, Port Harcourt. All rights reserved. No portion of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or any other form, without the prior permission of the above.