TODAY’S DEVOTION (TUESDAY 6TH JUNE 2023)**
Thus says the Lord: “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ Jeremiah 6:16 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 157TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF SIGNS AND WONDERS.
This is the day the LORD has made, we shall rejoice and be glad in it. For a moment, forget science and what it says concerning certain aspects of our lives. We might all have the power to fall asleep, but none of us has the power to wake up.
Daily, God loads us with benefits. Sleeping and waking up are part of the benefits, and there are more. Are ready to pull some of these benefits into your life, using your faith? If the answer is yes, then you are also ready for the word, because faith comes by hearing, and hearing the word of the LORD.
God has been gracious to us; He has been keeping our faith alive, by transmitting into our hearts some of the prophetic and practical truths that are capable of making our faith grow, towards proper response to divine destiny.
There is no truth as beautiful as truths that reveal how one can fulfill their divine destiny. Do not forget, mankind was created for a divine purpose. The best of life is enjoyed when we begin to live, or let me say, die for that purpose. The Bible spoke about God ridding the Heavens to help us.
Such marvelous help was released to the nation of Israel because it was a nation of divine purpose – a nation driven by divine destiny.
I don’t know how many of the Bible miracles that happened to Israel you know, but all of them were tied to divine destiny. God did what He did in their lives because as a nation, there was a plan they were living for. From the parting of the red sea to the expulsion of nations and delivery of territories of those nations to them by the LORD, the list is endless.
In fact, most of the ancient nations that rose against them, are no more today as we speak. But if you study the Bible carefully, you will understand that none of the miracles that happened to them has happened to any other nation under heaven. The reason is simple, God did all that because there was an eternal plan they were living for; the plan of birthing Christ into the world.
God used Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to birth them into time.
Then used their descendants, like Moses and many other prophetic authorities in their lives, to align them with His divine will and ways of their destiny. That was why, whenever they were aligned, there would be an outbreak of miracles, blessings, and covenant manifestations of God in their lives.
But whenever they were not aligned, there would be great trouble for them.
CONCERNING THIS SPIRITUAL PHENOMENON, THE BIBLE SAYS;
“Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded. And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.
For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; but when in their trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them.
And in those times there was no peace to the one who went out, nor to the one who came in, but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands.
So nation was destroyed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every adversity. 2 Chronicles 15:1-6 NKJV
This scripture made it clear that, anytime Israel was not aligned with God’s will and ways, or their divine destiny, God Himself would trouble them with every adversity. The reason is, He needs their alignment more than they need His blessings. So, when necessary, He uses adversity to exhume the kind of alignment to their destiny that He wants.
In the same way, whenever our lives are not aligned with our divine destinies we will begin to diminish in life, darkness will begin to set in, and our sun will begin to set. But whenever it aligns, we will begin to increase and become great in life; darkness will begin to disappear, and our sun rising in strength. The beauty of our earthly life will begin to shoot out and we will begin to lead a blissful and prosperous life.
There are people who have been healed, delivered from the powers of darkness, and made to experience great glory in life just by stepping into divine destiny. One of the major secrets of walking in divine destiny is knowing what our destinies would need to be fulfilled. We have seen quite some beautiful things. Today, we want to look at the next, and that is the pathways of God for our lives.
OUR DEVOTIONAL TEXT SAYS;
Thus says the Lord: “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ Jeremiah 6:16 NKJV
Many years ago, specifically in 1995, I was close to some of the pastors who were pastoring the then Winners Chapel Abuja. I would come to the Church hall late in the morning, and go to the office of the pastor who knew me then, for a talk on ministry.
There was this day I went there and requested for a book that He thinks can prepare me for ministry, and He said “God’s Generals.” So, I took it from his book shelve, but he warned me not to take it home. He said I should always sit in the Church hall reading and taking notes but I should not take the book home.
One day as I was reading the book and re-reading it again, when I saw these words in it: “There is nothing new under the sun. If anything is new to you, it’s because you are new under the sun,”. I spent time pondering on those words. The more I pondered on them, the more I discovered how true they are. That is why no one can fulfill a divine destiny without asking for the old paths.
The old paths will help us uncover who may have been here before us on earth, someone who did the very things God wants to do with us. Indeed, all destiny people must learn to *”Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it.” *Else they will not fulfill their destinies according to divine pattern.
If you have a destiny to pursue, one of the many things you must learn to do, is to stand in the ways of those who were here before you, see and ask for the old paths, where the good way is and walk in it. The paths of those who might have treaded the very destiny paths we are treading on.
Do not be lazy about it, your destiny will need the revelation of the old paths to be fulfilled. You must search for them. You must read and read until you find them, maybe in the lives of Bible men. The Bible says;
“Do not remove the ancient landmark Which your fathers have set. Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men. Proverbs 22:28-29 NKJV
ONE OF THE DESTINY-BUILDING FORCES YOU WILL FIND, IF YOU SEARCH FOR OLD PATHS, ARE ANCIENT LANDMARK THAT FATHERS SET.
Those are the things that if you become diligent in building your life on and excelling in them, you will stand before kings, and not mere men. Sometimes, the word kings, is not referring to sinful and wicked rulers, leaders, or rich folks, but the kings in God’s kingdom – the saved and sanctified.
The Bible says Christ has made us kings and priests on earth. So, we must understand the kings we will stand before, if we are bearing the message of the cross. Very few kings of the earth will allow you stand before them with the message of the cross. They will prefer you standing before them doing their own bidding.
That was why you see Jesus, who was diligent in His work, not seeking to stand before earthly kings. The only time He stood before one was on His way to the cross, yet many preachers today want to be palace prophets, like the prophets of Baal. Many have not realized that when the elites Greeks came to Jesus, He declined seeing them. He gave us an additional definition of the kings we will stand before.
Howbeit, once ancient landmarks are discovered and we become diligent in the work of unleashing our destinies according to the pattern in the landmarks, we will begin to touch so many lives, with the presence and treasures of the LORD.
Ancient landmarks are ancient standards, buried in the lives of those who did in the past, what God wants to do with us in the present. The people are usually men and women, who were here long ago with similar destinies like ours. The ancient landmarks you will need to make the boundaries of your own destiny duties, are usually buried in the stories of their lives. When you search for the old paths of their lives, you will find them.
Sometimes you will also discover the footsteps of the Almighty that they walked in, to make your pathway. That is why you become a continuation, in your own generation, of what the LORD did with them in their own generation.
I believe few truths have been shared today on what our divine destiny will need to be fulfilled. It is my prayer that we continue to use these truths to build our faith, until we fully mature into what God want us to be, in Jesus precious name. Amen!
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY!
Yes, the Lord will give what is good; and our land will yield its increase. Righteousness will go before Him, and shall make His footsteps our pathway. Psalm 85:12-13 NKJV