God has called everyone to travel the road of destiny, whether we like it or not. Everyone with a desire to be nearer to God will have to travel some roads that are not very pleasant. If we are going to get to where God wants us to be, we must follow His directions.
I stated in a January 2008, message to you, the readers, that there was no way for me to bypass the desert experience as I traveled from Jackson to Los Angeles, California, without passing through the desert.
If you travel by plane, you will fly over the desert. If you travel by train, you must pass through the desert. If you travel by car, there is a desert experience. Regardless of what form of transportation you use, there will be a desert experience.
Most of us don’t like the desert experience but, Isaiah said it well in chapter 40, verse 31: “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles.”
We would rather just fly over our problems, not realizing that God sometimes wants us to run and not be weary, or walk and not faint during the wilderness experience. I believe that the road from the desert to destiny often times is a road that we have to travel on. As we walk, God strengthens us; and it gives Him time to build our character. We can’t have destiny without the desert. We want destiny without the struggle. I want you to know that if there is no pain, or struggle, your God-given destiny will more than likely be delayed. The greater the desert experience, the greater the destiny. As we walk through our desert experiences, we must ask God for strength and courage so that we will not give up along the way.
There are several steps that we have to take as we approach our destiny but, the most important step is to be in the right position. You must be where God would have you to be. Most Christians are out of place and wondering why they are not being blessed. Some may wonder why is it that they are not moving to the level that God has called them to. Remember, that God has a way of turning things around in your favor when you get in position. He did it for the children of Israel; He will do it for you. After the Israelites crossed the Red Sea they were then positioned to continue on their journey to the land that God had promised them.
God has a promise land for every believer, and it is not just about material things. The promise land represents a life of fullness. It is about a life that is pleasing unto God. You will never reach your full potential in Christ, unless you go by way of the desert experience.
When you wake up in the mornings and don’t know what your purpose is, you will find yourself stumbling and asking the questions – “What am I here for? Or why did I get out of bed this morning?” But, when you have communicated with God, you can get up in the mornings with great expectations; knowing that this is another day that God has given you to make a difference.
My wife and I arose one morning, knowing that we had a journey to take. We were excited about our trip. The weather looked inclement but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was pleasing God. We knew exactly what our purpose was for the day. We knew that we had to go and encourage our friends in the ministry.
It is not just one day, but every day that we wake up, we know what our purpose is. If you are waking up in the morning not knowing what your purpose is, God is saying: “It is time to seek His face for purpose.” God created you for a purpose. He did not create you to fail. He definitely did not create you to live in poverty. He created you to hold your head up and to know that a calling is upon your life, and to be able to live out that calling.
We have too many people in the world today who wake up each and every morning, not knowing what to do from one day to the next. Some people will tell you that they are bored. Some may say I don’t have anything to do. You may then ask them, “Well, what would you like to do?” And their response is “I don’t know.”
That is a sign of a lack of purpose and God is saying “Get in position.” However, if you are not saved, the first thing that you need to do is get in Christ. You need to know without a shadow of doubt, that you are a child of God.
I John 5:13 states, “These things have I written unto you, that believe in the name of son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” When you know that you are in Christ Jesus, then you are positioned to move down the road to another destiny level. The moment you accept Christ as your personal savior, that is one level of destiny and as you grow in Christ that is another level of destiny. Levels of destiny will never descend until you go home to be with the Lord. We should constantly be striving for new levels of destiny in our lives. However, you must understand that there is a road we all have to travel and it is called the desert road. It is a road of loneliness. It is a road of misunderstanding. But God wants you to know that it is in the desert that you learn a new level of Him. And it is in the desert that you will understand who God is.
As you go through the back side of the desert and there is no spiritual water, there is no support, no one will even speak to you and your friends have seemingly forsaken you, God will, at this time, show you a new level of who He is.
Jesus was called to the back side of the desert. And the bible tells me that He was led by the Spirit of God to go and spend 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness praying and seeking the face of God. In the wilderness, there were no great crowds, no encouragement, no offerings, and no support. However, in the wilderness, there was a man called God. And what He needed was already there.
There in the wilderness, He was able to understand His purpose because His entire life was pointed toward Calvary. It was in the wilderness that He understood that His first intermediate stop was the cross before His ultimate stop at the right hand of God. He knew what His destiny was and He prepared Himself. He reminded those around Him what His destiny was. You must remind those around you just what your destiny is.
It is imperative that you get in position. It is time for you to get into the spiritual place of where God wants you to be. I have found in my lifetime that Christians do not spend the kind of quality time that is needed in the Word of God. Most Christians have substituted the Word of God for television ministries. God is saying to the church today that “You need to spend some time in my Word. And, as you spend time in my Word, I will reveal to you your destiny and your purpose. As you read the truth of my Word it will be illuminated and as a result I will bring revelation to your life. And that revelation will ultimately transform you.
About the pastor
Rev. Thomas Jenkins, Sr., the pastor of New Dimension Ministries, 110 Alta Woods Blvd., Jackson, is the founder and chairman of New Dimensions (formerly New Lake) Development Foundation. He accepted the call to the Gospel ministry in November 1979 and was ordained in 1981 by the Church of Christ Holiness, U.S.A.
Rev. Jenkins was born in Rankin County, on October 1954. He is married to the joy of his heart, Rose Mary and they are the parents of four children: Thomas, Jr., Sherman, Florence and Jasmine.
Rev. Jenkins is also the author of “From the Desert to Destiny.” Additional excerpts from his book will be published in The Mississippi Link in upcoming weeks.
For more information you may reach Rev. Jenkins at 601-372-6691.
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