DESTINY IN SCRIPTURE 2
(week 25/11)
Olubi Johnson
In our article last week, we saw that the destiny of every man is hidden in the scriptures.However, it is necessary to understand how to see and fulfil this destiny by the help of the Holy Spirit.
This week, we will see how to do this.
It is vital to understand that the destiny of each human being is generally the same but yet individually unique: just like we all have the same type of hands and eyes but we each have a unique set of fingerprints and unique iris patterns in our eyes.
Similarly, though, we are all called to be conformed to the image of Christ: having the same divine nature and character of Christ in our souls: wills, minds, emotions and bodies; we each have unique individual details of how God will bring us into and apply this perfect image of Christ in each of our individual lives.
Just like the same 26 letters of the English alphabet are uniquely combined to form billions of unique books and messages, in the same way little parts of the same scriptures are uniquely combined to form the destinies of individual destinies of billions of Christians.
How do we consciously and intelligently cooperate with the Holy Spirit to see and fulfill our divine destiny hidden in scripture?
By habitual daily reading of the scripture and praying in the Spirit through which the Holy Spirit will reveal to you your individual destiny and give you the wisdom, ability and power to fulfill it.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 MKJV: All Scripture is God-breathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, (17) that the man of God may be perfected, thoroughly furnished to every good work.
2 Peter 1:19-21 NKJV: And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; (20) knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, (21) for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 14:2 MKJV: For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. For no one hears, but in spirit he speaks mysteries.
1 Corinthians 2:7 MKJV: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, which God has hidden, predetermining it before the world for our glory;
The scriptures and history (both past and recent: contemporary) contain examples of people who fulfilled their destiny and by copying their examples we can see how to and fulfill our destinies.
Hebrews 6:12 NIV: We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
Now, the scriptures contain the accounts of the lives of many people showing both their successes and failures: we are to copy the good parts of their lives and avoid the failures.
For instance, we are to avoid the adultery and murder in the life of David (2 Sam. 12:7-14) and copy the purity of the life of Joseph (Gen. 39:7-12).
To grow into the perfection and fullness of Christ (Eph. 4.12-16) we can copy the good examples and avoid the bad examples in the lives of 12 exemplary people whose records in scripture show outstanding success in the fulfilling destiny with very few errors that resulted in a major loss of destiny.
These 12 people, like the 12 spies sent out to see the promised land (Num. 13:2) have seen or experienced the promised land of the fulfillment of divine destiny in their lives; by copying their examples and avoiding their errors we too can fulfill the fullness of our divine destinies. They are:
Enoch, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Ruth, David, Elisha, Esther, Daniel, Paul and John.
It is instructive to note that the Lord Jesus Himself learnt from the account of the lives of these same people (except Paul and John who were in the New Testament) and the prophetic scriptures written about Him to fulfill His destiny:
Psalms 40:7-8 MKJV: Then I said, Lo, I come, in the volume of the Book it is written of Me; (8) I delight to do Your will, O My God; and Your Law is within My heart.
Luke 24:27 MKJV: And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
The records of the lives of these 12 people and the Lord Jesus Christ contain vital truths and lessons that will help us to fulfill our destinies. The same divine principles recorded in scripture that enabled these people to fulfill their destinies are applicable to all men just like, as afore-mentioned, all of our fingers have the same general shape though we each have unique fingerprints: God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34).
Of course in addition to them we also learn from the lives of every one else recorded in scripture and from people in past and recent history (using the scripture as the standard for judging the account of their lives) copying their good parts and avoiding their bad parts to find and fulfill our own unique destiny as we pray in the Spirit, read and study scripture as a daily habit, with an honest and humble heart.
