Today we continue our series entitled “Destiny’s Child – You Are Not a Mistake!” We have looked at Jeremiah’s call for the past few days. I want us to back back to it today.
(Jeremiah 1:5-9 NKJV)
5 “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.”
6 Then said I: “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”
7 But the Lord said to me:
“Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you,
And whatever I command you, you shall speak.
8 Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.
9 Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.”
The underlying point that I am driving home here is that God already mapped out your life. He did this before you were born. Now He is looking for you to become what He already planned. While I believe this is very clear in scripture, not every believer seems to be at peace with the fact that God preplanned their life before the world began. So this morning, we will take a look at a few scriptures that drive this point home, and I will also share a few things that are specific to Jeremiah.
So what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. God said to Jeremiah, “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.” When we read what God said to Jeremiah, we can deduce that what was true for Jeremiah is true for us. That being the case, this means God knew you before you were born, He set you apart for your purpose, and He had an ordination service, in heaven, to ordain you for your specific assignment before you ever took one breath. Here are some quick nuggets we can glean from this:
a) The word sanctified means set apart. God set you apart for His divine purpose. He did this before you were born. Think about things you set apart for specific reasons. Let’s be practical. Isabella and I are headed to the Dominican Republic this weekend. We are taking the kids, and we will be there for weeks, so we have already started “setting things aside” for the trip. I may walk up to something in the house that I normally use for ONE PURPOSE, but Isabella may say, “No Babe. I set that aside, becuase I am going to use it for “X” purpose.” This is a very basic example, but my point is that God set you apart for a specific purpose, and He did this before your mother met your father. Even before you were born, God could look at you (in the spirit) and say, “He/she is set apart for “X” purpose. When I send him/her to the planet, it will be to do what I have purposed in my heart for them to do.” I want you to let that sink in. If you truly believe that, you will feel as special as you are in God’s sight.
b) God ordained you for your specific assignment before you were born. I was licensed to preach in 1997. I was ordained as a Minister of the Gospel in 2002. Having the license to do something is one level, but being ordained means that an external body has validated that I am qualified to perform whatever function I am being ordained for. I know that today you can probably get “ordained” online in five minutes, but ignore that for a minute. A real ordination service has “weight” to it. Jeremiah was born as part of the bloodline of Levi. He was part of the Levitical priesthood. Even though he was born into this bloodline, he could not be ordained as a priest until the age of 30. He had to wait, be processed, trained, prepared, and externally validated. An external body had to sanction him for the ministry. That being the context, God revealed to Jeremiah that He was ordained in heaven, to be a prophet, before he was born. Guess what? What was true for Jeremiah is true for you.
— God validated you, in heaven, before you were born.
— God put His stamp of approval on you for your divine assignment before your parents ever looked at each other.
— You are so special in God’s eyes that He went out of His way to sanction you for your purpose before you ever took one breath.
— If this is all true, and it is, then your life cannot be about you or your selfish desires. Your life must be about God’s plans and purposes.
— You can never be a success, in God’s eyes, until you become what He planned.
— You are not a mistake. You are here for an intended purpose. My prayer for you is that you FIND it, FOLLOW it, and FINISH it, before you die!
2. Your life was mapped out by God before you were born. Psalm 139:16 says, “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days of my life were ordained for me; written in your book before one of them came to be.” God wrote your biography before you were born. Not an autobiography, because you did not write it. This was a biography written by God Himself before you ever lived one day. Your life, now, is actually a journey of attempting to become what He wrote.
3. God chose you and blessed you before the world was made. Everything you need to become the man/woman you are destined to be is already stored up for you. This is what the Bible says in Ephesians 1:3-5 says, “In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in heaven. In Christ, he chose us before the world was made… And before the world was made, God decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. This was what God wanted, and it pleased him to do it.”
4. God established your purpose and also gave you the grace to complete it before the world began. 2 Timothy 1:9 says, “For God saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus before the world began.” You did not earn your calling. It had nothing to do with your performance. You were saved and called by grace. This was all for God’s purpose. A purpose and grace He established in Christ Jesus before the world began.
5. God already planned your life. You will never be truly happy or satisfied until you become the man/woman God planned from the foundations of the world! This is why you must spend time with God in fellowship. This is how you discover what God already decided.
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of LEVELING UP for me! I LEVEL UP by discovering Your purpose for my life. You planned for my arrival. All the days of my life were mapped out before I ever took one breath. I am not a mistake. You set me apart for Your divine purpose. You held an ordination service in heaven before I was born, and You put Your seal of approval on me to do what I am called to do. You then sent me to the planet at just the right time to do it. So I declare by faith that I will get it done. You reveal Your plans to me, I believe and receive them, and I walk them out by faith. Completing my assignment is my singular focus in life. My life is not about anything else. I will arrive at Your overall expected end. I will accomplish all I was born to accomplish while I am in the land of the living. I will become the man/woman You destined me to be. This is why I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
