Do you have scriptures you don’t like? I have one. I’ve previously written about my aversion to what I call my boomerang verse. No matter how many times I try to ignore it, it keeps coming back: Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 37:10).

     This scripture has guilt inducing properties for two reasons. First, I’m a borderline hypo-maniac and it goes against my nature to be still. But the main reason I never bonded with this verse is because I had several misconceptions about what it means to be still. I used to think prayer was only a silent activity—a moment of quiet reflection. I conjured up images of humming monks or prostrate priests. To me, those were the spiritual standards I measured my prayer performance against. The truth is, often my mind wandered during prayer or worse yet, I fell asleep. How could I be an effective Christian and flunk prayer?

     To this day I still don’t do “still” very well, but it was a great awakening when I recognized the false beliefs I had about being still. In Psalm 46:10, being still is only half of the commandment contained in this scripture. The other half of the verse is to “know”. In other words, the instruction to “be still” and “know” are a couple. You can’t divide this scripture and only do the being still part.

     To know comes from the Hebrew word yada`, which means to perceive and see, to find out and discern, to discriminate and distinguish. It also means to know by experience. Here’s the bottom line: We can’t get to the “know” if we haven’t first been still. Bear with me for one more definition. I think you will find it enlightening. Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart (NKJV).”  In this verse, wait comes from the Hebrew word, qavah, which means to look for, to hope and expect.

     So here’s the deal. When you’re expecting a baby, you prepare for that baby. You purchase baby clothes, furniture, decorate the room and most importantly pick out a name. You know the baby is coming, so you don’t just sit around and wait for labor pains. While you are waiting, you are also preparing because you expect the baby to come. If all you’re doing is chilling and hanging out, when the birth comes you won’t be prepared.

     Joseph’s story in the book of Genesis illustrates this point well. Joseph had two dreams when he was 17 years old. Shortly after, his dreams seem shattered when his brothers plotted his disappearance.  But Joseph held onto his dream. Even in the face of seemingly impossible circumstances, he didn’t give up. His dream fueled his ability to endure extreme adversity, and while he waited, he allowed God to prepare him.

     In the middle of his funk, the Bible points out a very significant detail: The Lord was with Joseph. While he taken captive as a slave, while he was falsely accused of rape, while he was in prison and forgotten, the Lord was with Joseph. You see, instead of hanging out and doing nothing, Joseph developed at attitude of expectation. In slavery, he was given leadership positions, and even in the bondage of prison he prospered.  

     Here’s the key point I’m trying to make: Years later, when Joseph was given the opportunity to interpret Pharaoh’s dream, he had developed the leadership skills to implement the plan he recommended. It was so brilliant Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of all of Egypt. In one day, Joseph went from prison to the palace. Why? Because he was prepared!

     What if we arrive at the thing or place or season that we are waiting for, but we miss the opportunity to do what we were anticipating because we didn’t prepare while we were waiting? We wouldn’t be ready. Neither would have Joseph. If Joseph would have allowed himself to slack off, he never would have been put in charge when he was in prison. Instead, even in a place of bondage, he allowed God to use him and perfect his leadership skills. He allowed God to prepare him for the destiny he knew would one day come. 

     Joseph was still and he knew. And so can you! Don’t give up on your dream. Allow God to use the hard places of your life to prepare you. Between every dream and destiny is a desert, but if you’re still and know he is God, He will use your desert to prepare you for your destiny.

A few years ago I saw the movie, A Cinderella Story, a contemporary version of the classic fairy tale. There's probably not a woman alive that isn't familiar with the storyline: A princess grows up oppressed by her evil stepmother and two wicked stepsisters.

“Sam”, the modern-day Cinderella played by Hillary Duff, lost her father after he married the woman of her nightmares. When he died, Sam’s father left her everything he owned, but Sam was deceived by evil family members who stole her inheritance. Even though Sam was the sole heir, she was blinded by lies, banished to misery, and settled for a life of intolerable cruelty. For years, she was completely unaware that her father intended for her to possess everything he owned. She had no idea she was a princess destined for greatness.

Have you ever felt like Sam? Maybe you didn’t know that your Father has a will for your life. Everything he owns was given up for your inheritance to fuel your dreams and destiny. Because of deceit, however, many of us live in despair, captured by oppressors who appear stronger than us. We’re kept in bondage with false illusions of hope, trapped in tyranny only dreaming of liberty. We submit ourselves like slaves without realizing we have other options.

Even after many of us read the will our Father has for us, we remain bound in chains and trapped in limits set by our enemies. We live among the ashes and dirt, scrubbing up the messes others left behind, accepting the fate they dictate for our future. Why do we do this? Sometimes it’s habit. Sometimes it’s the lingering feeling of unworthiness, and sometimes it’s the familiarity of bondage. Our oppressors deceive us with the false illusion of provision and comfort. We settle for a life of intolerable cruelty as slaves, held captive to sin as servants of deception.

The good news is that Sam eventually found her father's will. She accidentally discovered she was entitled to everything her father owned. When Sam realized that all he possessed was her legal inheritance, a trail of tears flooded my soul. Why did this scene pierce my heart? Because it’s such a picture of what Christ did for us. By dying on the cross, he sacrificed his life so we could receive a grand inheritance. Until we discover the will, however, we too are blind to the fact that our Father has plans for our lives far greater than anything we can ask, think or imagine.

When Sam’s eyes were opened, she realized her dreams could come true. Someone believed in her. Someone loved her enough to give her access to a wonderful future. Listen to what she did next: She took possession! She kicked out her oppressors. She took immediate authority over them and refused to allow her enemies to continue to steal her inheritance.

Has someone stolen your inheritance? There is good news! You can take it back! Romans 11:29 says that God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. So pick up your will today. Read about the inheritance Jesus died to give you. It's a legal and binding contract, all in writing and sealed by his blood. Don’t live another day in captivity. Kick out your oppressors. Take authority over your future and claim your inheritance today!

Empower your dreams and destiny.  Read the Last Will and Testament and take possession of everything that is rightfully yours.

 

    I grew up in the 70’s. Well…let me rephrase that. Since I’m not sure that I’ve actually grown up yet, I’ll put it this way—I entered junior high in the 70’s. Back then, I dreamed of being a designer and was always making something. In the seventh grade I had a collection of 60 beaded chokers that I had created. More is better, right?

    Soon after my beaded choker phase, my design capabilities advanced when I became fascinated with my mother’s Kenmore sewing machine. I wish I had a picture of the amazing already-faded denim skirt with the western yoke and ladybug buttons I made in ninth grade. I’ll never forget the first day I wore it to school.

    I was out at recess at Western Oaks Junior High. Of course, ninth graders didn’t go out on the playground. We were too cool for that. Instead, we gathered out back on the blacktop. When the girls saw my skirt, the oos and awes began.

    “Where did you get your skirt?” my envious girlfriends wanted to know.

    Beaming, I announced, “I made it.”

    “Really? Will you make me one?”

    “If you get me the fabric.”

    “Where did you get jean material like that?”

    “I cut up a few pairs of my brother’s old blue jeans. I saw a pile headed to the Goodwill. I couldn’t let my mom be guilty of such a crime.”

    For those of you that were born after the age of cardboard denim, you might not be able to comprehend why the worn out stack of jeans was such a treasure. Back in the 70’s faded denim was an extravagance only achieved after months of continual wear. I didn’t have a closet full of a variety of jeans. No, I washed and wore the same pair EVERYDAY until they finally faded and looked stylish. But there was one small problem. By the time they did look good, they no longer fit. Because while my jeans were shrinking and fading, my butt was campaigning for expansion.    

    I remember lying down on my bed just to get the zipper up and then doing squats to loosen the seat so I would be prepared for strenuous tasks…like sitting. Denim and fashion—such a vicious cycle. Kind of like my dreams.

    Back in the day, I dreamed of being the next Calvin Klein but by the time I got to college, my bankrupt self-confidence talked me out of pursuing my dreams. I opted for a prudent degree—one in Business Finance. Not much of a risk taker, it took me a long time to realize that dreams and desires don't go away because we decide to take the safe route. I thought it sounded impressive to tell people I was a bank examiner or in commercial lending, but in reality, finance and banking bored me. In my heart, I wanted to create.

    Turns out, as a stay-at-home mom, I really didn't need a degree to be a domestic engineer. Even now, my youngest is 16, but here I am—still at home. Who knew that teenagers are needier than toddlers?

    I still indulge in creative efforts now and then, but my passion for writing is the strongest creative urgency I’ve ever discovered. For me, writing is like designing with words. Writing is artistry and encouragement, all woven together. I start with an inspiration, add truth and embellish it with anecdotes and humor and wa-lah!

    It’s odd though—I never dreamed of writing in high school. My plans were to be a designer, but it wasn’t until adversity encountered vision that the passion to write stirred inside of me. The same thing happened to the Apostle Paul.  

    In Acts 9:3 the Bible says that while Paul was traveling on the road to Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. In this passage, the word light comes from the Hebrew word phos which besides meaning a literal light also means truth, knowledge, and the power of understanding moral and spiritual truth. In essence, light also means revelation.

    Before that encounter, Paul perceived that his life’s work was to persecute Christians. It wasn’t until he ran into his destiny on the road to Damascus that Paul comprehended his real purpose. When he was blinded by the light he came to the end of himself and found a new beginning. 

    Sometimes, our own dreams are like a pair of jeans. By the time we finally achieve what we thought we wanted, our dream has faded and no longer fits. Thankfully, God has a way of pulling things out of us that we didn't even know existed. Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

    When we get to the end of ourselves, we find the beginning. When we finally die, life springs forth. So get blinded by the light, and see your destiny shine.

  

Prayer: Father, help me to be aware of the truth that surrounds me. Help me to surrender my own agenda and submit to the plans that you have for me. Your plans far exceed any dreams I can achieve on my own. I pray that you would illuminate your truth to me so that I can fully walk in your ways and accomplish the purpose for which I was born to achieve. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

 

Scriptures to Ponder:

v  Acts 9

v  In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9

v  But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. Exodus 9:16

v  The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands. Psalm 138:8

v  God is mighty, but does not despise men; he is mighty, and firm in his purpose. Job 36:5 

Thoughts to Ponder:

1. What are your dreams for your future?
2. Have your dreams faded or increased over the past several years?
3. Have you ever experienced the death of a dream? How did you feel?
4. Like the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus, we often discover our destiny when adversity encounters vision. Have you ever experienced a similar encounter where a difficult time brought new revelation about your destiny? How did that affect you?
5. In Acts 9:15, the Lord says that Paul is his chosen instrument to carry his name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. How do you feel about being God’s chosen instrument for the task he has fashioned for you?

A guest speaker at our church quoted a familiar verse in his sermon on Sunday: In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord high and lifted up. I’ve heard messages on Isaiah 6:1 before but this time, I captured new perspective. Like a flame that ignites from a match head, a new revelation struck me.

In seeing the Lord high and lifted up, Isaiah not only saw God exalted, he had an “aha” moment. Something clicked that hadn’t clicked before. The seeing brought forth understanding.

Like Isaiah, my greatest encounters with God have also come on the heels of some type of death. Death has a way of cleansing, stripping false hope and opening my eyes to a new reality. It doesn’t have to be the death of a person. In Isaiah’s case, it wasn’t so much the departure of King Uzziah as the demise of an icon. His 52-year reign was characterized by prosperity, promise and a hope for the future and now that he was gone, perhaps Isaiah’s longing to see God increased.

Often it takes the removal of what we deem significant in order for us to esteem Significance.

Prior to his vision, Isaiah held a respectable career in the royal palace in Jerusalem, but God was calling him to be a prophet. The meeting with God came with a commission that altered the course of his life.

The same thing happened to the woman at the well and Saul on the road to Damascus. Maybe it’s happened to you too. If the book of Isaiah recorded your testimony, what would it say?

I’ll go first.

In the year that my first marriage crashed, I had a revelation of the Lord that changed my identity. I knew God was calling me to discard my addiction to relationships and minister to women.  

Now it's your turn: Copy the statement below. Then paste the statement in your blog comment and fill in the blanks. Or if you prefer, write your own.  

 

In the year that _______ I had an encounter with God that _______. I knew God was calling me to __________.