Long ago, King David asked the question: What is man? “Who are we?”
PSALMS 8:4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest (God initiating and delivering blessing)
him?
Then the answer came as spontaneous thoughts in David’s mind.
PSALMS 8:5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, (ʾelōhiym: A masculine plural noun meaning God) and hast crowned him with glory and honour. 6. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet.
GENESIS 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Adam was like God in both form and attributes. God is love, and Adam was imbued with the very motivating force and essence of God: LOVE. All of the creation recognized this divine quality in Adam and submitted to him.
After the fall, these qualities in Adam and Eve were lost beneath a soul that had undergone a change in nature. A soul that chose independence from God now emanated in them from the enemy they had submitted to.
ROMANS 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Ever since paradise was lost, man has continually sought to find it again. The history of the human race has been that of a man trying to find his way back to paradise and Satan offering him substitutes.
God, of course, saw all this from the beginning and way back in ancient times He gave a promise:
GENESIS 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee (Satan) and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall CRUSH thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
The promise of things to come was that the seed of the woman – Jesus – would bruise the head of Satan and bring about the restoration of all things. And once again the lion would lie down with the lamb and love would prevail over all things:
ISAIAH 65:23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. 24. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. 25. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.
The promise of a new world, a kingdom where love, justice, and peace prevail is an assured reality that this generation needs to be made aware of.
There is no doubt that this present generation is destined to be one of the most important in all of history. Most of the biblical prophetic words have their major fulfillment in this generation. The Scriptures specifically speak about this day in which we live:
PSALMS 102:18 This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD.
PSALMS 24:6 This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.
There is a prophetic convergence that is coming together in the present day the like of which we have never seen before. The prophetic mandates for this generation are necessary for the final quest of the Church, namely, to bring back the King. The perfecting of the Bride and the reaping of the final harvest is required for the King to return.
JAMES 5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 8. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
EPHESIANS 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
DESTINY AND TIMING
You were chosen to come to this earth and be alive in this generation. We need to seriously consider this as a special privilege. Why are you here at this time living on this planet? Why weren’t you born in the dark ages or some other time in history? Is it because, like Esther of old, you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
ESTHER 4:14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
We are living in a time which the prophets of old longed to see, a time when the spiritual tide of the knowledge of God will rise to levels never seen before. This is a time not just of great darkness, but a time of great light. Revelation, understanding, and spiritual insights are being given to this generation that will eclipse all that has gone before.
We are not returning to the Book of Acts; we are coming to the end-time Church which will go far beyond the early Church. We are coming to the fullness of things spiritual, the consummation of the ages, the literal Kingdom of God in this earth.
We are not looking back to the old-time religion, as good as that was; we are looking to the fullness of the Spirit without measure, a people in the image of God and a likeness of God revealing the power and nature of God to the world.
We see a parallel between increasing knowledge in the world and greater revelation being released to the Church. The prophet Daniel said that in a time when men travel to and fro and knowledge increases, the book will be opened to greater understanding.
DANIEL 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
We are certainly living in that day now. This book is beginning to be opened now in our day. Insight and understanding are coming forth as we enter this time prophesied so long ago.
The books are being opened in this generation and just as there continues to be a great explosion of knowledge in the secular realm, the Church will begin to gain insight and understanding that no previous generation has ever dreamed of.
Many Christians are being scheduled to be taken to heaven to gain insight and understanding that this generation needs to know to finish this age and usher in the kingdom of God on earth. What was experienced in the Book of Acts was just the deposit – the down payment – on what God has intended for this generation.
2 CORINTHIANS 1:22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest (down payment) of the Spirit in our hearts.
The depth of the Spirit we have now is just the down payment for something far greater, just a token of the fullness to come:
EPHESIANS 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
You were born in this generation; you came for such a time as this. There is much more spiritual inheritance and territory for you to enter into.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit was just a token; the fullness is about to explode in a manner that will amaze the world. The signs that the world will see through the true Church will cause many to wonder like never before. We must not fall to the deception that we know it all which brings us into a deadly lethargy of self-satisfaction.
Esther of old was given to choose whether she would stay as she was, or make a difference in her generation.
ESTHER 4:14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
It is time to fervently pursue God for the fullness of the promise; the down payment is not enough to meet the needs of this generation.
GOD HAS A PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE
II TIMOTHY 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called [us] with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
One of the most asked questions by Christians is, “How do I find the will of God for my life?”
We need to realize that God wants you to know His will and purpose for your life and He has not made it hard for you to know what it is. However, the real issue is WILL YOU DO IT?
If you want to know God’s will for your life and you will do it if he reveals it, THE WILL OF GOD WILL FIND YOU. You won’t have to go looking for it; it will catch up with you.
Willing to do comes before knowing, and the reason for this is that the consequences of knowing and not doing are frightening. It is better for you to not know than to know and not do it.
The first prerequisite for knowing the will of God is settling clearly and firmly in your heart that you will do the will of God whatever it may mean, whatever it will cost you.
Primary and Secondary Callings
ROMANS 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Our first calling and purpose is to be conformed to the image of Jesus while here on this earth, His character being formed in us. This is our first and highest call and purpose in this life.
Many Christians want to do things for God when God is more interested in who you are becoming. Developing gifts of the Spirit without the fruit of the Spirit being established in our lives has been the failure of the Pentecostal Movements over the last hundred or so years. Who you are is far more important than what you can do.
Our first and highest calling is to become like Jesus; this and this alone will determine our position, rank, and place of honor in heaven.
Secondary Callings
1 CORINTHIANS 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. 29.Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? 30. Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? 31. But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way.
Any of these various functions can be given to us to reach out to a needy world. However, the Apostle Paul made it very clear that unless the character of Jesus is formed in us, our service for Him amounts to nothing:
God is love and when you become love, God will give you the power to love. One of the greatest healing miracle moves of God ever known to the church is about to break out and cover the face of this earth, but God will only use those who have become love, which is His character.
The primary calling has to be a part of the secondary calling.
2 PETER 1:3-4 3. According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
We are called to Virtue and Glory. Glory means the goodness of God.
Exodus 33:19 Character Virtue means life-giving substance
God is about to anoint and release people who know their God and have His likeness in them. These people will demonstrate the love of God to this world in great power and the final harvest will begin.
The Call of Moses
EXODUS 2:11 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren.
Several things are indicated in this passage:
1) He heard the groaning of his people (he saw their affliction).
Moses became very aware of the condition and needs of the people. This awareness awakened him to his destiny. Most likely, he was not aware of this initially, but something was sparked on the inside. Long before Moses ever came to this earth, His destiny was given to him and he agreed to fulfill it in the earth.
When he was eventually born into this world, his spirit, being clothed with a soul and a physical body, soon lost sight of his heavenly mandate. This awakening was necessary to align his life with the destiny given him ages beforehand.
2) He had compassion.
Compassion is a forerunner of action. This strong desire to do something about the condition of his brethren was another step along the road of realizing his destiny.
Compassion is that which makes the difference between duty and a God-given vocation. Without compassion, there is no discharge of the Holy Spirit through our spirit.
3) He was aware of the covenant God had made.
Moses was taught and brought up by his mother (Ex 2:8- 10). Like any true Israelite, his mother would have taught him the laws of God.
Moses knew about the covenant that God had made with His nation and desired to do something about the troubles of his people. A call was taking shape in his heart.
Even though Moses was to make some mistakes, the call was beginning to surface within him. A strong desire to do something about injustice can often be the stirring of destiny. Strong compassion for certain kinds of suffering can be an indicator of a long-forgotten calling.
The Call of Isaiah
Isaiah has a cleansing encounter followed by an opportunity to receive a mandate from the Lord:
ISAIAH 6:8. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here [am] I; send me. 9. And he said, Go, and tell this people…
God asked “Who will go?” and Isaiah volunteered. Sometimes, God will allow volunteering. This opportunity to be inspired and volunteer can often be the catalyst that triggers the destiny within us.
What makes you come alive? There will be certain things that make you come alive. This happens when something or some event causes a reaction within you, making you come alive. Watch for that – it is your spirit rising to a destiny given to you so long ago.
The Call of David
I SAMUEL 16:11 And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all [thy] children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. 12. And he sent, and brought him in. Now he [was] ruddy, [and] withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this [is] he. 13. Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward.
King David was called through a sovereign act of God – God took the initiative.
Psalm 89:20 I have found David my servant; With my holy oil have I anointed him: 21 With whom my hand shall be established; Mine arm also shall strengthen him.
There are many ways in which we discover our destiny; the important thing is to recognize that pull, that calling of God, and respond to it wholeheartedly.
The final harvest with all of its various facets is about to break forth across the earth. What part are you to play in it? Not all are evangelists, not all have healing ministries, but all have some part to play.
Ask, seek, knock, and search for that which God has given to you to do – the reason for you being here in this generation. Everything up to this moment in time has been prepared for the final quest – to bring back the King and present to Him the fruit of our lives.
Your secular training as well as your spiritual training are all part of the preparation for the greatest hour in all history. Knowing your destiny depends upon how badly you want to know it.
JEREMIAH 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
PROVERBS 8:17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early (daybreak) shall find me.
We must seek the Lord until we know our destiny until we have some understanding of why we were sent into this earth at this time.
You need to know what God has given you to do. You need to gather the resources you will need to accomplish your goal. Get the training you need. Prepare, prepare, prepare!
Has God called you to head up a cell group in these end-times? Prepare material – good material – the coming harvest will bring countless multitude into the kingdom of God. Resources will run out; we will run out of Bibles, books, and other good material. Prepare now. Joseph saw what was coming and prepared to meet the crises ahead of time.
Whatever God has called you to, you must prepare now while you can, before the opportunity passes. STAY FOCUSED ON YOUR PURPOSE IN LIFE.
People make mistakes – some of little consequence, others of great consequence; but remember, any failure can become redemptive, every loss can be turned into good fruit that will be multiplied. Come back to your purpose, refocus and press on, forgetting those things which are behind you.
Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Stay focused and be patient. Let God unfold to you the stages needed to achieve your goal and purpose. Streamline your life, get rid of the things that are not important to your purpose, things that waste your time.
Business often leads to barrenness; we can be so busy that we miss what is truly important. Separate the good from the essential. There are many good things we can do, but you need to focus on the specifics God has given you.
ACTS 20:24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
Surround yourself with the right people, get negative people out of your life, and separate yourself from jealous people. Be a person of faith and vision. Why did the mantle fall upon Elisha?
1 KINGS 19:19 So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat , who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. He was plowing with 12 yoke of oxen.
This was no half-hearted effort in plowing; normally you would plow with only two yokes of oxen. If Elisha was like this in his secular employment, what would he be like working in the Kingdom of God?
Diligence and whole-heartedness are required! Many Christians are real babies when it comes to sacrifice and pain. Responsibility, commitment, faithfulness – there are people who want to be missionaries, but they don’t come to church because they have a headache.
1 TIMOTHY 1:12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
Elisha burnt his bridges behind him, burning his plow and oxen. He streamlined his life and became single-minded.
2 TIMOTHY 4:5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
PSALMS 4:5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.
As the days ahead get darker, we will have to trust the Lord at a new level. Now is the time to be established in our trust in the Lord for all things.
Man puts all his trust in money and that is the final thing that God takes away from Christians so that their whole trust may be in the Lord.
REVELATION 13:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Change can be unsettling for many, as we are comfortable in that which we know and are used to. However, change is needed for growth: both personal and corporate.
Like a surfer, we are being positioned to catch the next wave. This positioning is critical; if a surfer is too far out, he misses the wave; if he is not far out enough, he gets dumped by the wave and can be badly injured. It is of utmost importance at this time that we have an understanding of the time and season we are in.