What do you want your life to look like when you step into Heaven and stand before Almighty God? I know what I want mine to reflect. My deepest desire is to say, “Father, I fulfilled all that You foresaw for my life,” and hear Him respond, “Well done, My good and faithful servant.” The power inherent in that desire was revealed to me in 2000 when I died.
The Day I Died
After a physically-taxing mission trip to Europe and a very hectic Easter season, I suffered a major heart attack. In the Emergency Room, the medical team worked feverishly to save my life, to no avail. I could feel life ebbing away, and I flatlined. My surroundings faded to black, and the last thing I heard was the doctor yelling, “We’re losing him!”
Instantly the blackness transformed into a movie of the events of my life. I was pretty happy with what I was seeing: I had peace that my wife and children would be alright and in knowing that I had advanced the Kingdom of God. But something troubled me. I had not finished everything that God had assigned to me. In my spirit, I spoke to Him, “Lord, I have not completed my commission. What about the Bible college and the twenty churches I am supposed to establish? What about taking the Gospel to the four corners of the earth? What about the army You called me to raise up to change South Florida for Christ? What about . . . ?”
Immediately, the movie ended and I jolted back to the reality of pain and the harsh lights and sharp smells of the ER. I heard the doctor exclaim, “He’s back!”
Resurrected by Destiny
The power of my desire to complete God’s vision for my life literally resurrected me – and my destiny – from the dead. I had destiny to fulfill, and so do you. God had a plan in mind for you before the foundations of the earth were laid.
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
Before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.
Jeremiah 1:5
The Lord takes thought and makes plans for us (Psalm 40:17 AMP), and we know that they are “thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome” (Jeremiah 29:11 AMP).
He Sees the End from the Beginning
Those thoughts and plans are why we are designed the way we are. When our Heavenly Father created us, He created us for purpose, with a design that would fulfill that purpose. Then He assigned a structure for our lives that would uphold the design, just as a house’s foundation supports the design of that house. Everything He creates has purpose, design and structure.
So how will we bring about our destiny? God gave us a pattern to follow. We shape our destiny in the same way the Lord shaped the future of the universe: He spoke it into being. Likewise, we shape our destiny with our words.
Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Then, between verses 1 and 2, something happened and the universe became unrecognizable. Genesis 1:2 in The Message puts it this way: “Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness.” This is not how our Creator works! He does not make mistakes! God created the earth with purpose, design, and structure, envisioning the end from the beginning. What happened?
I believe, as do many theologians, that this is the time that Lucifer led one-third of the angels in rebellion against God, battling those angels who remained loyal to Him. Their war wreaked havoc upon every corner of the universe, and even though God was victorious, He faced a void in His creation. How did He deal with that void?
First, He sent His Holy Spirit to brood like a mother hen over the waters that covered the face of the earth. Then, when the timing was right, God began to speak life to those things that were already there. At the sound of His voice, they began to reveal themselves. He commanded:
“Let there be light.”
“Let there be a firmament.”
“Let the dry land appear.”
“Let the earth bring forth.”
And, each time God spoke, that thing He called into being was established.
“By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God,
so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”
Hebrews 11:3
This is the pattern we are meant to follow to shape our destiny. We are just like our Heavenly Father in this: “The power of life and death is in our tongue” (Proverbs 18:21).
God Wants You to Be Successful
God has decreed success for you in the area of your unique gifts and talents, and He has created things to intersect with your life to undergird His purpose for you. You may not have seen them yet, but I assure you, they are there. The visible things are made from the invisible.
Look at 1 Corinthians 2:9:
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man
the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
God has already prepared things for you. And, if you love Him, you qualify to receive them. He designed them uniquely for you. You might say, “Well, where are these things? How do I receive them?” The answer is in the next verses:
“God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.”
1 Corinthians 2:10-12
It is by the Holy Spirit that we come to know – to see – those things that God has prepared for us. As we seek the Father and meditate on scripture, the Holy Spirit reveals to us the things we are to pursue for purpose and destiny. Not only will those things be uncovered for you, but Joshua 1:8 states that by meditating in and obeying the scriptures, “you will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success.” That sounds like, “He who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:25).
Good success is something the Father desires for us!
Whose Plan?
Now, even though God has chosen success for you, you don’t have to reach for it. You can fail if you want to fail. You can speak life or you can speak death – the devil’s plan – over your life. That is your choice.
And, you can’t be ignorant about what you speak. No matter how much faith you have, if you croak like a frog every time you try to sing, no amount of prophesying over yourself will make you an anointed worship leader with platinum albums.
Discern God’s Plan for Your Life through the Holy Spirit
Trust the Holy Spirit to communicate His desires for your life. Remember, the Lord knocked Saul off his horse when He wanted to get his attention! Your Father wants you to know what He envisioned for you before the foundations of the world were laid. He is not going to keep your purpose hidden from you when you seek Him.
“Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. He himself shall dwell in prosperity, and his descendants shall inherit the earth. The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant.”
Psalm 25:12-14
Allow the Holy Spirit to “hover” over you until the Word is ripe within you. Then, begin to speak that Word to cause every area of your life to line up with His plan.
Perhaps you already know the Father’s plans for your life, but circumstances are holding you back. Satan delights in creating situations to keep us from fulfilling destiny. However, Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. You have victory through Jesus’s death and resurrection, and the power of God’s Word trumps everything the enemy can throw at you. Rather than speak the enemy’s plans, use your God-given authority to change your challenge into a good testimony:
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Whatever the void in your life, you have the power to counteract it by commanding life with God’s Word just as He did in Genesis. Desire what God wants for you with all your heart. Then, use your voice to shape your destiny. Watch as the power of your desire, combined with the power of God’s Word, resurrects your dreams!
For more information on this topic, we recommend Dr. Thomas’s books, “Speak to the Void” and “Capturing the Mind of God.” These and other ministry tools are available at seedofharvest.com.
A visionary man serving a visionary God, Dr. Thomas communicates biblical principles for successful living in a relevant and practical way. He writes to empower the believer toward an abundant life in Christ. Bishop and Senior Pastor of Abundant Life Christian Center, Margate, Florida, Dr. Thomas leads an international network of churches and ministries.
