Destiny is a word that not many people understand its place in the placement of people in life. I be lieve very much in predestination, 1 believe before we were all born, God has already destined us to become what we are and who we are. "The word of the Lord came to me, saying, Before 1 formed thee in the belly 1 know thee, and before thou earnest forth out of the womb 1 sanctified thee, and 1 ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." Ger. 1:4-5) Wao! What a revealing scripture this passage is. Life before life. Existence before manifestation. What actually we call birth is just the manifesta ­ tion of a person that has been living in the spir ­ itual realm from the foundation the world. God finished all creation on the sixth day and rested on the seventh day.

God said to Jeremiah, "1 knew thee before 1 formed thee in the womb, before you came out of the womb 1 sanctified thee (set thee apart) and 1 ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. No won ­ der Jeremiah was a successful prophet. If Jeremiah had tried to be a king he would have been miser ­ able, if he had tried to be a singer, he would have been a disgrace and a disappointment. If Jeremiah had tried to be a priest or a shepherd or a farmer or even a soldier he would have been killed the very first day in the battle.

His destiny was to be a prophet to the nations. He did this very successfully. The time to discover who you are has come! Stop struggling and start shining. Go to God in prayer and find out what he sanctified you to be ­ come in life. Fulfillment begins when you discover what he ordained you to become in life. I have seen people out of frustration becoming what they were not destined to become.

Mostly this day every body wants to be a preacher or a Pastor. Every saved child of God can be a preacher but not all can become pastor. No man taketh this honour to him ­ self but he that is called of God. (Heb. 5:4) Some are pastors today because they are graduates, be ­ cause they have seen another graduate pastor suc ­ ceed. Grammar is not the calling. You can speak all the grammar that is to be spoken and not make headway as a pastor.

Apostle Paul was so successful as an apostle because he was called to be an apos ­ tle. "Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God (1 Cor. 1:1) My friend all imitation callings should be set aside and do what you know God has sanctified you or set you apart to be here on earth. If you were called to be a teacher you will be frustrated trying to be a law ­ yer, you loose so many cases until you loose cour ­ age and when you loose courage you loose the bat ­ tle.

I will come to Apostle Paul later, let me give a personal testimony here to the honour and glory of the Lord. Before I was born, there was this unique testimony about my life. When I became a pastor, I began to preach the gospel to my parents and other members of the family. the response I was always greeted with by my mother was that I should concentrate in my service for God that I am different from every other person in the family. When this continued for a long time, one day I de ­ manded for explanation to this statement. She opened up and said that she had a unique experi ­ ence during the days she was pregnant of me.

She said she went to consult an oracle to know what and what she should do during this pregnancy to have safe and normal delivery. She said the very first man she met brought his materials for divina ­ tion, threw them on the ground and pack them up in haste and protested.

She said the man told her that the baby in her womb was insulting him for carrying out an ungodly and fetish practice which he does not want. And that the baby was going to be a boy and will be a pastor and that she should never consult any oracle or perform any fetish ritu ­ als for him. She did not believe the man. She went to a second person who said the same thing and a third who was more furious by telling my mother "why have you come to curse me?" You have been warned not to do this thing why did you come.

On hearing that, she gave up the idea and never used any drug, native or orthodox for me during her pregnancy. She only prayed on water and drank every day, you see, before I was born God ordained me a Pastor. Before I was formed in my mother's womb I was sanctified to be a Pastor to the glory of God. Little wonder I am successful as a Pastor.

Apostle Paul
"Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by he will of God (Eph.1:1 and Co. 1:1) "Paul an apostle, (not of men neither by man,) but by Jesus Christ and God the father who raised him from the dead".(GaI.1:1)

Apostle Paul is one great example of a man who lived to fulfill his destiny. Unknowing to him dur ­ ing the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ that he has been destined to be an apostle and missionary of our Lord Jesus Christ he gave himself to the study and proclamation of the Jewish faith. When the fullness of time came, for him to become who God had ordained him to be on earth the Lord appeared to him one glorious hot afternoon on his way to Damascus .

The story is in Acts chapter 9. As they journeyed a light brighter than the sun shone on him. That light will shine on you today. That was the beginning of Paul's success and breakthrough in life. That light changed his entire life. He had all the time done what he wanted to do but now he could only do what God wanted him to do. He was blind for a moment that implies that we have to hide our eyes from the past because the past will frighten us and hinder us from seeing the good pros ­ pects of the future.

"And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said he Lord in a vi ­ sion, Ananias, And he said Behold, I am here, and the Lord said unto him, Arise and go to the street which is called straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for behold he prayeth and hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hands on him, that he might receive his sight., then Ananias an ­ swered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to the saints at Jerusa ­ lem and here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on other names. But the Lord said unto him, go thy way for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the gen ­ tiles and kings, and the children of Israel , for I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. (Acts 9:10-16)

As you walk to fulfill your destiny you will come across people like Ananias, who do not believe you can be anything good and nothing good can ever come out of you. They have no knowledge of your destiny. They are fed with lies about you and they choose to be led by what they hear.

"I have head by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to the saints, at Jerusalem . And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call other names (Acts 9:13-14).

People who listen to many can hardly hear from God. What people say about you is not as impor ­ tant as what God says about you. Peoples' view about you is not as important as God's view about you. God then made Ananias to know what Paul was destined to become in life.

"Go thy way for he is a chosen vessel. Lift up you hand and shout Amen. I am a chosen vessel not what people say but God. Not by power nor by might but by my spirit. It is by the grace of God .. He is a chosen vessel. Ananias you also are a chosen vessel to only go and lay your hands on Paul and that he might receive his sight. Ananias there are other hands but your hand is the hand that has been destined to give sight to Paul of Tarsus. Go thy way, he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the gentiles and kings and the children of Israel . That is the summary of what Paul was destined to do and he did it to the best of his ability.

Solomon
David had planned to build God a house but des ­ tiny bestowed that responsibility upon Solomon. "Then David the king stood up upon his feet and said, Hear me my brethren and my people; As for me I had in mine heart to build God an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the lord and for the footstool of our God, and had made ready for the building. But God said to me thou shall not build an house for my name because thou has been a man of war and hast shed blood.

Howbeit the Lord God of Israel chose my father to be king over Israel for ever; for he hath chosen Judah to be the ruler: and the house of Judah, the house of my father and among the sons of my father he liked me to make me king over all Israel; And of all my sons (for the Lord hath given me many sons) he hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the Lord for ever. ? And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts for I have chosen him to be my son and I will be his father. (1 Chr. 28:2-6)

This is the provision of destiny as stated here by king David. David had in his heart to build God a house for the ark of the covenant, but God said to him that is not in your book. You are not the one to do it. Solomon your son has been destined to do that. Then David recollected how God preferred him to his father and brethren and in fact to all the house of Judah for the choice of a king. The Lord God of Israel chose me before all the house of my father to be king.

Destiny has it that David was to be king, so it does not matter where David was whether he was in the bush or in the farm destiny was bound to fetch him out. When Samuel came to anoint a king it looked as if all hopes for David was lost. But God spoke to him. I have not chosen any of these ones. Kingship is not in their destiny. For Eliab his destiny was to be the first son of Jesse, for Abinadad, his is to be a soldier for Shamma he is to be a warrior but for David he is in the bush and no one should sit down until he comes. David said, God liked me to make me king over all Israel .

God liked me to make me a Bishop, to make me work in Lagos Halleluya! This is destiny what God has destined you to be you will become.

What more shall I say about destiny? I would have loved to talk about Dairus a heathen king, that God prophesied his life before he was even born. And of Pharaoh, for this purpose I raised Pharaoh" of John the Baptist and of Mephibosheth, of Ruth the Moabite and of Rahab the harlot. Let me con ­ clude with this prophecy of the, alter of Bethel

"And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by word of the Lord unto Bethel and J ero ­ boam stood by the altar to burn incense. And he cried against the altar in the word of the Lord and said, 0 altar, altar, thus saith the Lord, behold a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee.

And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the Lord hath spoken: Behold the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out. And it came to pass when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of a God which had cried against the altar in Bethel that he put forth his hand from the altar saying, lay hold on him.

And his hand which he put forth against him dried up so that he could not pull it in again to the altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from he altar, according to the sign which the man of god had given by the word of the Lord. (1 Kings 13:1-5) Josiah fulfilled this prophecy in his life time, see 2 Kings 3:15-16. Before Josiah was born the prophecy has been given with his name mentioned that he will destroy the altar that was at Bethel . He may not have known when he was doing this but destiny has made pro ­ vision for him to do it. You will live a fulfilled life.

Your life is in the hands of the Lord. Your destiny in Christ is a glorious one The Christ in you is the hope of glory (Col. 1:27)

Appendix

October, 1979, I was a Deacon and the head Usher at our headquarters in Benin the Miracle Centre. Our father in the Lord whom I have worked with as head Usher for eight years as at that time called me and gave me a letter to go and pastor the Mission Road new church that was given to us by Mr. lredia. I objected very vehemently. I told him I was satisfied being a Deacon and the Head Usher He told me I should know he loves me but God needed me in the ministry. He said to me that God has spoken to him about me and that God said I am a called Pastor and a leader and that he cannot stop me from fulfilling what God has said about me. I do not know what you are talking about, I am not a Pastor period. I replied. He said finally to me you may not understand now but you will understand later. Surely I understood latter that God's hand is indeed upon my life. My destiny was to be what I am today.