The Pathway of Destiny Part 2

by John E. Thomas

You have a purpose. You know that even if you have forgotten. It haunts you when you try to play off mediocrity as if it were okay, it is the longing to be known and feel special—the destiny God created specifically for you is calling you to fill a vacuum only you can fill.

Not everyone fulfills their purpose. Not everyone reaches their potential. Not everyone accomplishes their destiny. Why?

Some think that destiny is automatic, that it is inescapable. That destiny means we are destined—we cannot escape it. There is a subtle temptation built into this idea, the temptation to let things happen to us instead of taking responsibility for our lives. The temptation is to live as if we were powerless.

Some think that destiny is a concept for others. You know, the ones that have it all together, planned out. The “take charge” kind of people. The Type A personality. And then there are the rest of us. The temptation is comparison.

Some think that destiny is just a matter of luck. That greatness is just because one happened to be at the right place at the right time. The temptation is passivity.

Some think they are disqualified. They had potential but they wasted it. The mistakes they made are too big, or lasted too long, or too something. Now they are stuck with Plan B. The temptation is shame.

Some think that evil forces have too much power. If they reach for greatness the cost to themselves and whatever they love would be too high. They were derailed. They are beaten down. The power of evil is just too great the way the world is today. The temptation is negativity.

Some think that it is just too much. Why would anyone want to achieve greatness? Why not just “get by”? I mean, I’ve got a good job, a nice family, a comfortable life. The mundane is comfortable… The temptation is to settle for less than you were created for.

Did you notice the pattern? Each type of person described above all have the same problem. It was the second word used to describe each—“think”. The biggest obstacle to us fulfilling our purpose is our own thinking. What we think hinders success (defined as living the life we were created to live) more than any one other thing.

I could easily give an answer to each of these thought patterns—and perhaps I will another time—but today I want to give you a simple antidote to all of them. It is something I knew, but I didn’t know. You understand what I mean—it was in my head but not completely in my heart. That changed!

The antidote was hope. But how did it move from my head to my heart?

Partially, it changed when a man that I see as a spiritual father to many and physically larger than myself sat on me. Yeah, he actually sat on me. As he was talking about the antidote—not calling it that, but it was—he would periodically come to where I was sitting and release the Spirit that was on him onto me. As I was overcome he sat on me.

Did I mention he was larger? I couldn’t move. I was stuck. There was nothing I could do about it. I couldn’t make it happen and I couldn’t stop it. My friend, Robin McMillan, was talking about hope. God was using him to take a concept and make it a reality in my life.

A scripture kept coming to my heart and I had to find it. “Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope.” Zechariah 9:12

I couldn’t move. I was stuck. There was nothing I could do about it. I was a prisoner of hope. Someone bigger than me was sitting on me, releasing His Spirit upon me until I was overcome. I cannot escape hope. Neither can you!

The antidote to all of the thought patterns that keeps us stuck, docile, and powerless is hope. Hope is powerful! Hope carries faith but where faith does not require your emotions, hope does. Hope is the confident expectation of good. It is not a wish, “I hope things get better.” That is the wrong use of the word. Hope is confident. Hope looks forward and sees good.

But notice the first part of the verse: “Return to your stronghold.” What stronghold? Hebraic literature tells us that God is our stronghold, the name of the Lord is a strong tower, and that He is our hope. Paul prayed, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Romans 15:13)

God created you special. You can look forward and see good. It doesn’t matter what today holds, He holds tomorrow. Return. Return your heart, take it out of the prison of despair and realize you are a prisoner of hope. You are not allowed to give up. You are a prisoner of hope.

Remember what David said, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” (Psalm 23:6) The Hebrew word for follow literally means to pursue and chase down. You are stuck. You are a prisoner. Good stuff is going to hunt you down all the days of your life. You are a prisoner of hope!

Things can’t stay the same! Are they good now? You must hope for better tomorrow. Are they bad now? You must hope for better tomorrow. You are a prisoner. You can’t escape, good is coming your way. You have a destiny, and it is better than you think!

You have a purpose. You know that even if you have forgotten. It haunts you when you try to play off mediocrity as if it were okay, it is the longing to be known and feel special—the destiny God created specifically for you is calling you to fill a vacuum only you can fill.