A Timely Message

Last evening, Shannon and I attended a house meeting at Wayne and Rev. Debra's home where we had the privilege, along with around 30 others, to hear Pastor Richard speak one last time before he leaves for his home in Tanzania next week. He delivered a message about discovering and following your destiny. Shannon and I were surprised when he had us turn in our bibles to 2Kings Chapter 2 to the passage about the calling of Elisha by Elijah. This being the same passage Shannon and I had been talking about between ourselves earlier in the week and that I had written about in my most recent post.
God has a a plan, or a destiny, for each of us. In fact, according to Psalms, He knew us before we were even formed in our mothers' wombs. We discover that plan by spending time with God in prayer and He will reveal it to us. It is then our responsibility, as Christians, to pursue it. The enemy will place obstacles in the path toward that plan in an effort to keep us from it. Often those obstacles will be from negative spirits attached to those that are close to us. In Matthew 16:21-23, the apostle Peter told Jesus that he would not fulfill his destiny. Jesus rebuked him saying, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
Shannon and I have experienced mainly positive and supportive comments from those we have shared our plans with. There have been a few though, that have had negative thoughts to share with us. As we have talked about each of these comments in our time together, we have discovered one thing that runs throughout those negative words. The words seem to come from thinking of the things of man, rather than God. Concerns about our safety, illnesses, about how this will affect our children and leaving our extended family members behind, of finances, selling our home and possessions-these are all valid concerns through man's eyes but are invalid concerns when looked at through heavenly eyes.
Shannon and I are excited to be in pursuit of what we believe to be God's destiny for us. We know it will come at great cost. We also know that with the pursuit, will come great blessings.