Transcription
Jeremiah 1:4-5 (Amplified Bible classic edition)
He said, "Then the word of the Lord came to me, Jeremiah, saying: 'Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you and approved of you as my chosen instrument; and before you were born, I separated and set you apart concerning you, consecrating you, and I appointed you, appointed you as a prophet to the nations.'"
Contemporary English Version: "I chose you to speak for me to the nations."
Psalm 89:19 (Psalm 89:19 Easy to Read Version)
He said, "Lord, you spoke in a vision to your followers. I have made a young soldier strong from my people. I chose him. I chose him for an important position."
And someone listening to me at this point in time and season, God has chosen you for an important position. Go then.
Isaiah 45:13 (Isaiah 45:3 New Living Translation)
"I will raise up Cyrus to fulfill my righteous purpose and I will guide his actions. He will restore my city and free my captive people without seeking a reward. I, the Lord of Heaven's armies, have spoken."
So, those are some of the words, words that God uses when you have been chosen, when he has, you have been selected, when you have been appointed, you have been ordained, you have been raised up by God for some specific purpose or assignment.
So, we come now to lesson number four. People are usually chosen, selected, or appointed by God for a specific purpose, for a period of time, and with a code of conduct. People are usually chosen, selected, or appointed by God for a specific purpose, for a period of time, and with a code of conduct. There would always be some clear, some instructions as to what God has chosen you for.
Now, when God has chosen you, that applies to the context of God's perfect will, and there are some common details that could be involved in God's assignment for you.
Romans 12:2 (Romans 12:2 King James version)
He said, "And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." God's perfect will of God.
The next thing we need to look at as we look at, um, the issue, this factor of God's purpose for whatever he may have chosen you for, is by looking at the purpose of divine helpers and partners in destiny. The purpose, the role, the function of divine helpers, partners in destiny. God will raise you up to play some of these roles, and God will raise up a lot of people to play these same roles in your life and for your benefit.
So, God will use your divine helpers, your destiny partners, to teach you, and God will also use you to teach certain people. God will use them to educate you. You will use them to train you. He will use them to correct you. He will use them to discipline you.
Now, I want you to please take note of this. God has two options in dealing with offenses, mistakes, and, uh, errors from those he has chosen. And what, what are the two options? The first option is correction and discipline. God's preferred option is to correct those he has chosen. It is to discipline those he has chosen. It is not God's will to replace those he had chosen. Replacement is the second option. Replacement is the second option, but God is usually very reluctant to use this second option.
So, to make it easier for God not to consider the second option when dealing with you as one of his chosen vessels, you must always be teachable. You must be open to correction. You must be open to discipline. Do not walk out of an environment where you have been corrected, where you have been disciplined. It is the better option than God having to replace such a person.
So, God will also raise divine helpers and partners in destiny to advise you, and God will use you to do the same thing. Like Esther, God will use you. You can be raised by God to be a very powerful person in life. And how is that going to happen? By God using you to advise just one person in the right way, in alignment with the mind of God, with the will of God. It could be one of your children. It could be your spouse. It could be someone that looks up to you for your advice from time to time.
So, God raised them up to advise you, to prepare you, to coach you, to mentor you, to guide you, to help you. God will often use divine helpers and partners in destiny as instruments of divine intervention in your life. And take note, everything we are saying also will will be required of you at some time. The same way we wish, and we are open, and we look forward to God using people to impact our lives, to favor us positively, is the same way that the Lord expects you to be willing to do the same when God also wants you to help people. He wants to use you to intervene in the lives of certain people.
And God can always do whatever he needs to do. In fact, he's not even bound to use human instruments. And he demonstrated it clearly in First Kings chapter 17, verses 2-6. At the time he was going to hide Elijah, Prophet Elijah for a while, he told him to go and hide in Brook Chariot. And very strangely, God told him that he will send, he will use birds, specifically the ravens, to bring him food while he will be at that location. So, God can use anybody. God can use anybody to do what needs to be done.
So, any time God decides to use us, it is a privilege, and we should always feel honored by God for such privileges. So, God will also use you to encourage people and raise people to encourage you from time to time, to provide for you, to empower you, to give you opportunity, and uplift you at different phases of your life. Like I've just said, all of those things, God will raise men to do in your favor, in favor of your loved ones. And from time to time, God will also want to use you to do the same.
And God uses your divine helpers and partners in destiny in different areas of life: spiritual life, ministry, marital life, family life, emotional needs, your career, your calling, in business, the works of your hands. God will raise men, he will raise women to play some of these positive roles, the realm of financial empowerment, to fulfill certain aspects of your divine purpose and destiny. God will raise helpers, he will raise destiny partners to help solve certain problems. God will use certain people for your promotion, for your fulfillment, to help you realize your peak potentials. And some, he will use for an all-around purpose, such as a spouse. All-around purpose, such as a spouse, used will be used by God in many of these roles. And in the same way, God will want you to also allow him to use you in all of these areas for certain people.
Now, the assignment of divine helpers and partners in destiny often has has a time, a timeline. Some would do whatever God has raised them to do for a particular need or goal in your life. They are just there for the project. They are just there to assist you achieve that particular task, that event. And once that is done, they are no longer bound. There are no more bound to be available.
Some will be available for a certain age and phase of your life. For a certain age and phase of your life. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother. There's a time where your parents would have already played their role, and you should be expected, you'll be expected to be able to stand on your own and also now raise your own family. And that is why in Proverbs 22:6, he said, "Train up a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old." That means thereafter, a time will come when you will no longer be under the oversight of your parent. "When he is old, he will not depart from it." Those values, those principles that the parents have carefully instilled in you in your youthful days.
And then some will be assigned to God, to you, for a lifetime. Some will be assigned to God, to you, for a lifetime. For a lifetime. In every, in most churches, let me rather use the word most. In most churches, there will be many people that God has ordained to be members of that church for a lifetime. For a lifetime. And that is why every wise ministry must build up the leadership of the ministry around sons and daughters of the ministry, not on ministers who feel led to serve and they are just looking for a platform. You can give them opportunity, but you can't put them at the core, nuclear, and most senior level of leadership of such a church. The greatest inheritance is for the sons and for the daughters of such a church family.
And then, of course, purpose. Because for any time anyone that there is, God has chosen, is for something. And purpose has to do with the reason for something. The reason why God has chosen you, the reason why God has selected you, the reason why God has appointed you, the reason why God has ordained you, the reason why God has raised you up. The reason why God has raised you up. Some of you, especially the women, God will use you to groom a king. Groom a king. That's the assignment. That's the assignment. Most times, that king could be a son. That king could be a husband. That king could be a brother. And not necessarily a younger brother. God can use you to groom someone that is much older than you.
At the age of 30, Pharaoh could recognize the depth of wisdom upon the 30-year-old Joseph. God is about to give some of you listening to this message lifetime opportunities, and he's going to give you grace and wisdom, resources, and favor to deliver, to excel in that God-given assignment, in the name of Jesus. Amen. God always has a reason for giving selected persons certain opportunities. Are you sure you are one of those God has chosen? Can the Lord hear your amen? Can the Lord hear you say, "Yes, Lord"? "Yes, Lord"? God always has a reason for giving selected persons certain opportunities.
Acts chapter 13, verse 22 (Acts 13:22 Amplified Bible classic edition)
It says, "And when he had deposed him, referring to Saul, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he bore witness and said, 'I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all my will.'" You may not be a man after the people's heart. What is more important is that you are a man after God's own heart. "I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all my will and carry out my program fully."
And carry out my program fully. Your irreversible confirmation for a particular thing that God wants to use you for compels the angels of God to keep you alive until that thing is done. There are times when God will want to use you, he will not tell you, "I want to use you." He will just expose you to what he wants to use you for. Then will allow your instinct, will allow your spirit to minister to you, giving you an impression that this is the right thing to do.
Divine opportunities don't always come the way we expect, so we must be sensitive to identify them. It could come through you having the chance to work or serve as a volunteer, or in a volunteer capacity, or with some particular people. Like Elisha and Elijah. Elisha already had a very, very big farm he was managing, and it was in the midst of that that the Lord sent Elijah to call him unto service in the prophetic ministry.
For God to use you, you must have a selfless spirit. You must have a selfless spirit. You must have a selfless spirit. If you are the type that would always look for what is in need for me, what do I stand to benefit, how much will they give me, how much are they giving me, what have I benefited so far, even from church, then such persons may not go too far. They may not go too far with God.
God's opportunity could come through you emerging as God's choice for something. And from that moment, he expects you, without understanding of what has just happened, to begin to do things that is obvious is the will and the mind of God that will be pleasing to him. God's opportunities could come through a divine call for you to do something. It could come through God choosing you to play a specific role. It will come through when God decides to use you for something. God decides to use you for something.
It could come when God also decides to use something that you have, something that you have. Like Luke chapter 5, verses 1 to 4. If Jesus had announced that whoever can surrender his boat for me to use to preach, I'm going to give that person a mighty breakthrough today, we would have seen many offers to Jesus. But sometimes God will not tell you how he will reward you. He will just prompt you to release what you have unto him, unto his church, for his work. And when you do, the Lord will always do something good in return. And sometimes it doesn't have to be tangible. It doesn't have to be physical or material. And we see this play out in Luke 5:1-4.
Whenever there is a critical need for the church, God's people, or God's mission, and you turn out to be capable of addressing that need, it's often an opportunity. It's often an opportunity. So, it could come as you become conscious of God choosing you as a very, in this time. It could come through a request for you to do something. It could come through a a form of invitation for you to do something, solve a problem, or provide something. It could sometimes come in the form of an appointment, an appointment into a particular role. Could sometimes come in the form of being nominated to do something.
You can be chosen as God's instrument of intervention for someone, or for a group, or for a ministry. You can be chosen as God's instrument of help for someone, or for a group. Acts 16:9. Most of the time, when God chooses people for different assignments, it's for a period of time. It's for a period of time. It's for a period of time. Praise God. So, do not, let's not miss it. Let's not miss it.
Even when God chose to use the ravens, God never told, God never made it clear that it will be for a while. Even Elijah didn't know it was going to be for a while. Then God decided to use another instrument, this time a human instrument, instead of the ravens. And so, in verse 7 of First Kings chapter 7, the next thing you will read is that the stream dried up. And then in verse 8, the Lord said to Elijah, "Go to Zarephath, for I have instructed, commanded a widow there to feed thee." The assignment of the raven, of the ravens, was over. The assignment was over, and they fulfilled the assignment excellently.
So, have it in mind that whatever assignment God gives you, most of the time, it will not be forever. Do it with all your heart and give all you can to make it as successful as possible. And when we make contribution, sometimes, let's not just make contribution for the sake of contributing. Let's make contributions with a purpose, with a goal of achieving what we are contributing for. And if that is your motivation for doing so, on your own, you will do, you will do more than everyone has been asked to give. You will give above the level. You will give more than was expected from you. That is a better spirit and mindset to to go about it.
Then also, God will use people and use you in certain positions. In certain positions, he will give you a position. It will give you an office. It will strategically position you, sometimes ahead of time, ahead of time, in order to use you to achieve certain things. And you see that without position, you'll be able to start certain things. You'll be able to decide many things, choose many people, remove those that need to be removed, favor those that need to be favored, assist, support, appoint, select. So much will happen depending on the measure of authority that God has given you through that office or position or relationship. And you will also be in a position to stop and prevent many things. Stop and prevent many things. You'll be in a position to do so.
Esther 4:14 (God's Word Translation)
"The fact is, even if you remain silent now, someone else will help and rescue the Jews. You may have gained your royal position for a time like this. For a time like this." Whatever is working well for you now, God deliberately made it so for a time like this. Use it well. Use it well.
And how long you will continue to flow in that positive circumstance, sometimes we depend on how well you have used it. How well you have used it. God has a pattern of positioning his chosen instruments ahead of time. He did that with Esther. Then in Genesis chapter 45, verses 4-9, we can see that God influenced the emergence of Joseph to become the prime minister in Egypt in order for him to use his position as prime minister for the financial and material emancipation of God's people.
Take note of this: when people are chosen, it's usually for an assignment, or they could also be chosen for a particular position or office. Now, this is where some people make mistakes. A lot of people eventually become more focused on the position and the office rather than the assignment. What is most important is the assignment. Is the assignment. The position is just meant to give you the platform to be able to carry out that assignment better. The office is just meant to give you give you access to certain things that will enable you carry out that assignment better. But what is most important is the assignment.
Sometimes God does not need to give you an office. He does not need to give you a position for you to make impact. You don't need an office for you to touch lives. You don't need a position. And we have seen situations where certain people have so much touched lives that positions are now offered to them. Offices are not offered to them because everyone is of the consensus, or let's say the majority of the consensus, that if this person could on his own, on her own, with personal resources, make so much impact, then the person would do much more if in a particular office or position.
And that brings us to the point about these four things in your life that often carry a divine purpose:
1. Your natural talents, your gifts and special abilities, your virtues, and areas of personal strength. There is a purpose for your natural talent. There is a purpose for your gifts. There is a purpose for your special abilities. There's a purpose for your virtues and areas of strength.
2. And the second thing in your life that always, that often carries a purpose, a divine purpose, your strategic relationships and cycle of influence. If you use these four things well, God will promote you. Your strategic relationships and cycle of influence. Esther 4:14 says, "God has put you in this royal position for such a time like this." So, you need to ask yourself, why has God favored me with this relationship? Why has God favored me with this marriage? Where has God favored me with great favor with certain key people? Certain key people.
3. The third thing that will carry a purpose, carry a purpose, your position, your office, or your platform. Your position, your office, or your platform. Why? So, you have to ask yourself, why has God favored me with this position? Why has God put me in this position, in this office, on this throne, or platform for such a time as this? For such a time as this.
4. And the fourth one are your material assets. Your material assets. Your material assets. God told David, "One of your sons will succeed you." And then later, God spoke to him again and specifically revealed the identity of the particular son that was going to be Solomon. And the Lord said, "He is the one among all things that will build the temple." God also spoke about King Cyrus over 150 years before he was born. "And I will raise Cyrus, I will raise him up." And for these two men, they had assignments that had to do with using money, using material and financial resources.
So, you need to, let's be sensitive to some of these things. Why has God so you, we now ask ourselves, why has God blessed me financially? And I want to plead with us here, as much as possible, let God's blessing, empowerment to you and around you, let it also affect some other people. Let it affect some other people positively. Let your empowerment have a bandwagon effect, positively. Very key, because if God wants to show mercy to certain people, he will show mercy to them by empowering someone that is connected to them. God does not necessarily have to do it for you. He can empower someone that is connected to you. And when God also wants to show mercy to certain people that are connected to you, God can empower you, can promote you, position you. And God wants you, once that happens, to also be a blessing to those he has in mind.