DESTINY

PRO 16:9  In his heart a man plans his course, but the
LORD determines his steps. 

Your destiny is the sum of all of the overall circumstances or conditions in life (including everything that happens to you). We also call destiny your fate or your portion. However, your starting place is not a determinant of your destiny

EXO 2:5  And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash
herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river’s side; and
when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it.6  And when she had opened it, she saw the
child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said,
This is one of the Hebrews‘ children.

Exo 2:1 says that a Levite married a Levite and the woman conceived and gave birth to a son. A simple story but in terms of the world the child was born under a death sentence so his destiny was to die as a babe.  The word of God says in  Isa 42:8 that God will not give His glory to another so God only God could take one who was destined for death and destruction and raise him up so that all would know his name, Moses. Instead of dying as a baby God caused Moses a Hebrew slave to be reared in the Egyptian court of the pharaoh as royal prince. God elevated him to be the deliverer, the receiver of the law and the mediator of the covenant.

The life of Moses is cogent evidence that where your life starts does not determine where your life will lead or who you will be. Moses started out as a slave floating on the river but he went from being a slave to being a prince in a matter of minutes. He went from being royalty to being a fugitive in one violent act. He went from being a fugitive to being a husband, father and shepherd of his father in law’s flock. God a plan for Moses and every event and each act led to the fulfillment of that plan.  All of his ups and downs were in preparation for him to go to the back side of the mountain where people didn’t normally go. God anointed a man who was a fugitive with a record to be a pastor, deliverer, the receiver of the law, and the mediator of the covenant to lead more than a million person congregation thru the desert.

DEU 28:6  You will be blessed
when you come in and blessed when you go out.

Regardless to who you are and the circumstances of your birth or family heritage when you dwell in the presence of the Lord, He insures your destiny so that you always receive your portion. Participation in the promises is not a matter of ancestry or merit but it is a matter of connection. By virtue of the relationship that you have with God He places you in an exalted position and protects you with strength that is beyond human.  Things that don’t happen in the usual course of events began to happen. You will not be able to predict the pattern and the flow of the blessing because blessings flow out of season. You will be blessed going in and out and everything that you touch will prosper.

 Is there anything that is impossible for God?

Dr. Olivia Hines

Related articles

• Will You Answer When God Calls? (yourgodmoments.wordpress.com)
• Red Letter Exodus 6-10 (thespokenword1.wordpress.com)

God’s Dwelling Place

God’s Dwelling Place

 

HEB 13:15  By him
therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the
fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

The word of God says in PSA 113:3 that from the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD’S name is to be praised.  But the skeptics ask why would anyone be so crazy that they would praise a historical figure who lived over 2000 years ago?

In the Old Testament we find no name for the Book of Psalms but the Jews gave the overall title of the Book of Psalms “tehillim” which means “the book of praises”. In the 5^th century the church felt that praise was so important that it decreed that no man could be placed in a position of dignity in the church if he couldn’t repeat the psalms. If he couldn’t praise God he didn’t belong in the church hierarchy. They believed that if a man didn’t know the value of praise he didn’t deserve the privilege of being held in high esteem or promoted.

GEN
49: 10  The sceptre shall not depart from
Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him
shall the gathering of the people be.

The Tribe of Judah is known as those who praised God.  In the Book of Genesis 49^th chapter the word of God says that Judah will always be on top. The word says that Judah will have control over their enemies and their father’s children would bow down to them.  In Genesis 49:10 the word says that the scepter would always reside in the tribe of Judah. God keeps His word because Acts 13:23 says that God raised up a Savior Jesus Christ the Lord.  Jesus came from the line of the tribe of Judah.

Acts
13:23 23  Of this man’s seed hath God
according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:

 

So why should we praise God? We should praise God because He is worthy to be praised. We ought to praise God for His great works and compassionate acts but we should also praise God because He is honorable and dependable. When we see the works of God we are fascinated but when we understand the awesomeness of our God we are filled with appreciation. Our God accepts us as a part of His family. Praising God acknowledges His wonders and glories, bestows honor, shows admiration and highlights the magnificent work that He has done.

Finally, why should we praise God? We should praise God because praise ushers us into the presence of God. The word of God says that when we praise Him, God literally dwells in our praise.

Psa 23:3 “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.”  

 By Dr. Olivia Hines

Related articles

• What the Bible Teaches About Pride (verticalviewer.wordpress.com)
• The One (johnluke.wordpress.com)

Is God Hiding?

PSA 139:8  If I ascend up into heaven, thou
art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. 

It appears that we are living in a time of concealment when God has hidden His face from us. There is so much uncertainty. It is as if we in the Body of Christ have been put on pause and we are waiting for something to happen to lift us out of the catastrophic proportion of distress that we are experiencing. Countries are at war internally as well as externally. Parents are killing their children and children are killing their parents. There is an inordinate amount of natural disasters, earth quakes, tsunamis, droughts and storms. With masses of knowledge and technology there are still illnesses that man can’t heal.

PSA 75:5  Lift not up your
horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck.6
For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor
from the south.7  But God is the judge:
he putteth down one, and setteth up another.

 

The word of God says in Psalms 75:6 that promotion comes neither from the east, west or south. However, the psalmist fails to mention the North. During biblical times the people believed that the mountains that lay far to the North bordering the Mesopotamian Valley were the end of the world. The Hebrew word for North is sapon meaning “hidden or secret” and it was commonly thought that the North was outside of the natural domain therefore it was hidden from human view. The psalmist’s lack of use of the North is a tacit indication that there is nothing in this tangible, material world, the world as we know it that can cause real promotion. He implies that in order to be lifted out of our current situations we must seek relief in a place that is outside of our natural realm. Only from the secrets of God’s counsel can real promotion and elevation come.

PSA 121:1  I will lift up
mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.2  My help cometh from the LORD, which made
heaven and earth.3  He will not suffer
thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.

 

I have good news for you God is not hiding. You can look to God for help because He is reliable. His word says that He does not sleep. Regardless to what you are going through you can depend on Him. The word says that He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He will never leave you or forsake you. The same God that stood by Moses in the cliff of the rock stands beside you in your every situation.

By. Dr. Olivia Hines

Related articles

• Pope: God is always close, even in days of sorrow and responds to those who pray (onecatholicnews.wordpress.com)
• Think About This Today (stevensawyer.wordpress.com)