Exploring the virtues of divine guidance Author Bishop DAVID O. OYEDEPO
INTRODUCTION
Salvation or the new birth confers a glorious destiny on everyone that has been redeemed. We have been redeemed as priests and kings, and God’s plan for us is that we reign on the earth (Rom. 8:29-30; Rev. 5:10). We have also been called unto glory and virtue (2 Pet. 1:3). But how do we access this heavyweight dimension of glory reserved for us?
Knowing what is yours but not knowing how to get at it can be frustrating. Isaiah 2:2-3 and Micah 4:1-2 makes it very clear that the unfolding of God’s ways is what will bring down His glory upon the Church. The quality of revelation the Church has access to, is what will determine the quality and weight of glory that she is able to enjoy.
A discovery of vision and its pursuit is the gateway to the actualization of our glorious destiny in Christ. Equally very vital is the place of divine guidance in the pursuit of vision, because only those that are led by the Spirit of God can truly manifest their sonship on the earth. It is divine guidance that makes the journey of life great, as you cannot operate by the ways of God and not cause waves on the earth.
The Bibles says, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:9). When you walk by the higher ways of God, you becomes a high flyer in life.
The Bible unfolds the unlimited realms of glory that God has reserved for His people in Deuteronomy 28:1-13. Much more important to note is the secret for accessing it, which is revealed in verse one:
And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
The glory packaged for the end-time Church is rooted in His voice; it is rooted in hearkening to the voice of the Lord, which is divine guidance. When harkened to, the voice of the Lord will always culminate in a glorious experience. The voice of the Lord, therefore, is the master key to the dimensions of His glory in our lives. He leads us in the path of profiting by His voice. We are told in Isaiah 48:17
Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
Everyone who harken to the voice of His leading will end up being distinguished. Following His leading is the guarantee for the fulfillment of vision and destiny, because the leading of the Lord is what makes great leaders. Speaking about the Holy Spirit, the Bible says:
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. John 16:13
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
John 16:13
The Bible also says in Isaiah 49:10:
They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.
The Church is programmed to be a leading Church, because it is led by the Spirit of the Lord. Man is limited as a human being. In fact, I told one of my sons recently, “Your mind is too poor to be followed.” This is why we will always need divine guidance. Our thoughts are not His thoughts. His thoughts on any issue of life are higher, and, therefore, lead to the highways of life.
You need to be divinely guided in life, as one wrong step can wreck a whole destiny. No matter how colorful your vision is, misdirection can lead to many years of set backs, and can even wipe out a man’s destiny. Many have traveled out of their countries to other countries and have become worse off, because the answer to any man’s problem is not in a nation, but in God. Others have embraced seemingly open doors in business which have ended in grave loses, ruin and bankruptcy.
So, if you want to enjoy and experience the glory reserved for you as a child of God, then you need to be sensitive to what He commands. You are supernaturally in command when operate as commanded, because the Caller backs you up, to ensure that what He has commanded you to do is accomplished.
Christ was crucified to connect us with Abrahamic covenant of honor and dignity (Gal. 3:13-14). Isaac, our covenant brother with whom we share a common heritage, was also envied by all those around him (Gen. 26:12-14). So every child of God carries an enviable destiny; we are to be envied and not pitied. As I have so often said men only pity those that are in the pit. We are not meant for the pit; rather, we are a city set on a hill that cannot be hid.
This is the reason for this book. It is packaged to provide scriptural details on the vital subject of the pursuit of vision. Also discussed is the subject of the virtues of divine correction, as divine guidance is not complete if you are not open to be corrected by God. All these are to enable you and me fulfill our destinies in a grand style. Therefore, come along as we walk through the spiritual signposts on the highway to the fulfillment of destiny.
Chapter 1
Vision And Divine Guidance:
It will perhaps be good to start off the discussion of the pursuit discussion of the pursuit vision by explaining what vision and divine guidance means. An understanding of what these two terms actually means would help us see the need for them in our lives.
Vision
Contrary to what some believe, vision is not that dream one has in the night. Neither is it what transpires in a trance or what obtains in moments of ecstasy. A true vision is the unfolding of divine plan and purpose. Everyone is created to fulfill a purpose here on earth, just as every manufacturer creates a product specifically to fulfill a purpose. A discovery of the purpose for which you are created is called vision. It is the unfolding of divine plan as it relates to a nation, a group of people or an individual.
God revealed His purpose for creating Prophet Jeremiah:
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Jeremiah 1:5
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Jeremiah 1:5
He also had a purpose for Apostle Paul:
But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen…… Galatians 1:15-16
But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace,
To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen……
Galatians 1:15-16
Jeremiah’s purpose was to be a prophet and Paul, to preach to the heathen. You also have a purpose for being here on earth. Do you know what it is yet? Vision is knowing what you are here on earth for. It is a divine insight into God’s plan for your life, and is very important that you discover what it is, as it puts an end to a life of struggles. You will keep struggling when God’s plan for your life is unknown, because you are designed to perform best at that assignment you are created to perform, just as any product only functions optimally when used for what it was specifically designed for.
Divine Guidance:
One of the greatest tragedies of life is to lack the knowledge of where you are going as well as not know how to get there. So, having discovered what you are here on earth for through a discovery of vision, the next thing is to know how to accomplish the task you have been sent to perform; that is, the pursuit of vision. This is where divine guidance comes in. since God created you to perform a specific task, then He should be allowed to show you how to do it. A manufacturer is the only one who knows best what he designed a product to perform, and that’s why every product comes with a manufacturer’s manual that tells you how to use it.
The quality of how well you pursue your God-given vision and fulfill destiny is a function of the quality of divine guidance you are exposed to. While vision shows you the Promised Land, God’s guidance is what enables you to arrive there. Taking the children of Israel out of Egypt, God took them through the Red Sea on purposed – so they would arrive at the Promised Land:
And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt. But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt. Exodus 13:17-18
And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.
But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.
Exodus 13:17-18
Every man on a journey, but who does not know the way to go, must of necessity seek to be directed if the ever hopes to arrive at his destination. Since it is God Who made us and not we ourselves, it is essential that we look up to Him to show us the way to the actualization of the purpose for which we are created. So until you are guided by the One Who knows the way, your life purpose may never be realized.
The Bible says in Proverbs 14:12
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
This same scripture is repeated in Proverbs 16:25. In the other words, man will keep getting frustrated in his pursuit of vision, except he is able to lay hold on divine guidance. It is God’s leading that makes the journey of life great. The Bible commands that we walk not by sight, but by faith (2 Cor. 5:7). That means, if you are determining the way to go by what you see, you will be utterly limited in life. The greatest leader that ever walked the face of the earth, Jesus Christ the Son of God, said, “I can of my own self do nothing: as I hear, judge; and my judgment is just” (Jn. 5:30). When you are committed to His leading in your pursuit of vision, then you are on your way to becoming a generational leader.
Worthy of note is the means through which the Lord led the children of Israel through the wilderness to the Promised Land.
And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people. Exodus 13:21-22
And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:
He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
Exodus 13:21-22
They journeyed forty years through the wilderness by divine signal. The Bible tells us thus:
And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning. So it was always: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents. At the commandment of the LORD the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the LORD they pitched: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents. And when the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept charge of the LORD, and journeyed not. And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; according to the commandment of the LORD they abode in their tents, and according to the commandment of the LORD they journeyed. And so it was, when the cloud abode from even unto the morning, and that the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed: whether it was by day or by night that cloud was taken up, they journeyed. Or whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, remaining thereon, the children of Israel abode in their tents, and journeyed not: but when it was taken up, they journeyed. At the commandment of the LORD they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of the LORD they journeyed: they kept the charge of the LORD, at the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses. Numbers 9:15-23
And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning.
So it was always: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night.
And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents.
At the commandment of the LORD the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the LORD they pitched: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents.
And when the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept charge of the LORD, and journeyed not.
And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; according to the commandment of the LORD they abode in their tents, and according to the commandment of the LORD they journeyed.
And so it was, when the cloud abode from even unto the morning, and that the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed: whether it was by day or by night that cloud was taken up, they journeyed.
Or whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, remaining thereon, the children of Israel abode in their tents, and journeyed not: but when it was taken up, they journeyed.
At the commandment of the LORD they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of the LORD they journeyed: they kept the charge of the LORD, at the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.
Numbers 9:15-23
The Israelites only moved by divine signals; is there any wonder then that they arrived at the Promised Land or that there was not one feeble person among them in forty years of travelling through rough terrain?
God is committed to guiding us, if only we are committed to following Him. But note that He will not force us to follow; He leaves it to our choice. We find a typical demonstration of this in Luke 9:57-62. Jesus did not force anyone to follow Him. Those who offered to follow Him but who gave conditions, He simply showed the right path and left them to make the ultimate choice by themselves.
And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee, but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. Luke 9:57-62
And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee, but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Luke 9:57-62
Following God’s guidance is a choice. But I believe that when you know the benefits of following Him, you will be able to make the wise choice to follow His leading for your life. He knows the end from the beginning (Isa. 46:9-10), and because we have no access to the end, we need to plug in to the One who does.
We struggle a lot because we think we know the way. But one wrong step can wreck an entire destiny. Only God knows it all. We may know only some bit about the past, and a little about the present, but only God knows everything about the future. So, we need to plug in to the One who knows tomorrow and the end.
To be continued in the next edition…
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