Table of Contents
Introduction
Most people have found themselves in very tight spaces in life, awakened in places surrounded by weird people. Most of the time we blame it on the devil and his agents but sometimes God has a hand in it. According to Job 2:3-7, Looking at the case of Job, you might easily blame it on the devil alone but in all this God was involved.
The enemy doesn’t close every door and not every loss in your business is a blunder. In relationships, every person that walks away is not a mistake; God moves people out of our lives because he knows they would become harmful to us and would keep us from our destinies.
So, as we see in Jonah 4:5-7, God causes things to dry up, to force us to change. After all, some people are like a wheelbarrow because they can’t do anything meaningful for themselves, hence they need to be pushed around by someone or something. That is when the devil or God kicks in to do it.
Some of the circumstances you are facing might be a way of God pushing you into your purpose. They might be painful and unpleasant, like the loss of a loved one, a job, a friend, or even a valuable item or possession.
1 Samuel 16:1, The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”
If people left you, it was their time to leave so don’t hold on to them otherwise, you will miss the new people God has sent along your way. If a door closes, it was its time to close, let it close otherwise a new door won’t open. Accept change or new people and you will go to a new level because Davids won’t show up until you quit mourning over your Sauls.
Do you remember Joseph in the bible? God revealed to him in a dream that he would rule over his father, brothers, and companions. His dream caused his brothers to hate him, and they threw him into a pit. His brothers then sold him into slavery, and he wound up at Potiphar’s house in Egypt — running things (Genesis 37:18-36).
Brethren always remember that sometimes we get comfortable simply because we’re doing better than we were, or because they are better than the last. But God is saying, “The longer you stay comfortable where you’re not supposed to be, the more uncomfortable it will become. Staying comfortable where you are is keeping you from the dream that I gave you.” The dream God gave Joseph was not going to be fulfilled at Potiphar’s house.
Joseph got comfortable in a temporary place, in a place that was meant for him to pass through, and not to stay put. The spirit of contentment can cause us to get content in a relationship, a fear, a mood, a decision, or on a level that takes us off the path of God and causes us to do overtime in a season.
Brethren always remember that the Bible says, “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13). You cannot stay where God’s purpose cannot be fulfilled. Your destiny belongs to God — His plans for your life were written in His book before you were born: “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16).
Just as soon as Joseph got comfortable, Potiphar’s wife started making passes at him and when Joseph resisted, she accused him of rape. Potiphar threw Joseph in prison but what Potiphar didn’t know was that his actions pushed Joseph into his destiny. You weren’t supposed to get promoted there, they weren’t supposed to like you there, you weren’t supposed to do business with them, you weren’t supposed to be comfortable with a mediocre relationship — resist the temptation to get depressed about what pushed you out.
Never start a fight against God without first establishing the end of the matter and the main purpose of this. That is why the Bible says better the end of a matter than the beginning of it (Ecclesiastes 7:8), since the beginning might be full of failures and frustration and might be spelling doom.
Sometimes, we’re praying against the very thing God has ordained. We’re unknowingly praying against what God has set into motion to favor us. And when such prayers are not answered, we feel bad, depressed, and disappointed, but God has a plan. He’s not just trying to make our lives miserable, but he’s pushing us into our destiny (Jonah 4:8).
The push is necessary because it allows us to grow and be strengthened. I am reminded of Job 13:15 which says, “even if he kills me, I will hope in him. I will still defend my ways before him.” Know that your pain has a purpose and keep pushing and You are closer than you think! You can’t afford to give up because your family needs you, your destiny needs you, and the people attached to you also need you! Remember a seed can’t germinate and become a big plant if it doesn’t push the soil and rocks along its path.
Not every closed door is a bad thing. It could be a divine orchestration to push you into your destiny or purpose in life.
According to James 1:3-4 “For, you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” Persecution builds your resistance—just like lifting weights builds your muscle. In the gym of life, you could think of the enemy’s opposition as your prophetic set of dumbbells! The enemy is used to build your capacity for greater things and the devil is used like a piece of equipment that enables you to undergo the “resistance training” needed to make you stronger.
Many don’t like to be pushed around and hence God can’t use them. Remember God wants to refine us just like diamonds are refined through fire. A fish is not fit to eat until the scales are removed and that is a tedious exercise but necessary. To know your purpose keep trying things and don’t be afraid of failure because you will fail at some point but that is not an excuse not to try things.
A STORY OF AN EAGLE AND ITS EAGLETS TO SHOW HOW GOD PUSHES US TO OUR PURPOSE.
In relation to Deuteronomy 32:9-14, We learn that: An eagle builds a very comfortable nest on top of a very high mountain where it is very secure. Then it lays its eggs and when the eaglets hatch then it takes care of them very well until they are ready to leave the nest. Then on a particular day, it comes and destroys the whole nest. It then starts to encourage the eaglets to go and get food from a nearby perch, in an attempt to train them to fly.
With Purpose, the Eagle mother hovers over the nest with the intention of pushing the little one out of it, so that the eaglet falls down the face of the cliff, surely to be destroyed. But not so! In a flash, the great mother eagle flies down, catches the little one on her back, flies up, and deposits it in the nest.
Sometimes, the Lord simply wants us to discover that underneath is His wings, His everlasting arms! Other times, however, He wants us to learn that our security or purpose is
- not in our bank accounts
- not in our jobs
- not in our homes or possessions
- not in our nation,
- not in our health. But in the Lord God alone.
If you know the Old Testament story of the Exodus, you know this is what God did with Israel. He brought them into the desert where He fed them and clothed them. Do you remember what God said to Israel when He brought them to Mount Sinai? He said, “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself”—Exodus 19:4.
Soon after that He kicked them out of the nest and wanted them to fly. God’s purpose was He wanted Israel to go into the Promised Land. Sadly, they refused to fly, and as a result, wandered in the desert for 40 years. That was not God’s intention for them, nor is it for us. We need to get out of the nest and try our wings!
It might look like all hell is breaking loose, it might look like things aren’t working out, it might look like a breakdown but God is breaking you out of that place, that stronghold, that dry place and that comfortable place, so as to position you for your high place. Your opposition to what you could do, what people want you to do, and what might be enticing to do will set off God’s positioning of you for what is to come. (2 Corinthians 4:17).
You will come into some situations, people, and failures along the way that will make you say, “Not again!” But keep in mind that God positions us through difficulties. God has to push us to bless us when we put our dreams on hold due to a delay. (Isaiah 43:19). Never forget your purpose.
Joseph went from the pit to Potiphar’s house, from Potiphar’s house to prison, and from prison to the palace — get comfortable being uncomfortable for your destiny or purpose. The prophecy written in God’s book for your business, your ministry, your love life, and your purpose that He showed you in a dream will keep pushing you out of your history until you fulfill your destiny and your Purpose. When you stay focused on your purpose instead of your problem, you can be happy even when life seems to be falling apart.
Paul was an old man when he was in prison in Rome. He was a long way from home. He was awaiting execution. Everything had been taken from him—his friends, his freedom, his ministry, even his privacy, with a guard chained to him 24 hours a day. It wasn’t exactly a happy time for Paul. But there was one thing they could not take away from Paul: his purpose. Paul made the choice to stay focused on his purpose, even when he had lost everything else. What was his purpose? Serving God by serving others.
Pastor Nathaniel.
