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Destiny Diversion

“Rejoice, Zeb'ulun, in your going out; and Is'sachar, in your tents.” – Deuteronomy 33:18 RSV
The subject of Destiny Diversion has become quite popular among Christians, especially in Deliverance-oriented ministries. It is seen as a work of demons and (or through) their agents, and so prayers are continually being raised against them. However, there is an aspect of Destiny Diversion strategy that is much more lethal, yet largely unrecognised for what it is. That will be the subject of our discussion and meditation in this piece. For want of words, let us call it “Scripting.”
When a child is growing up and doing well, what usually happens is that he wins for him/herself lots of adult-admirers. Each of these admirers writes a “script” on how the child will end up, and the path to success s/he should follow. And to the degree that they are privileged to influence the child’s life, they will do all in their power to make sure that child acts out their script for his/her life.
Now, these adult-admirers, the parents inclusive, are usually very sincere; and their scripts for the child are usually plausible and somewhat detailed. But then, we find out that they follow a particular trend approved by the “society” – whatever and whoever that represents. There is absolutely no consideration of your wishes and your uniqueness; just conform to the expectations of the society.
We all have come across such people. Their scripts usually contain such things as What kind of institution you should attend; The course you should study; What you should do after school; Where you should do your post-graduate studies; When you should get married; The kind and status of the person you should marry; The church you should attend; The kind of business you should venture in; The kind of organisation you should work with; The area you should live in; How you should spend your money; etc. etc. They are especially happy, and derive huge satisfaction when you live your life according to the content of their script.
The biggest problem with this is that they are NOT you’re your Maker. No matter how good their intentions are, they do not have the faintest idea of what your Maker wants to do with your life. In fact, beyond their plausible argument, the underlying motive is usually very trivial. You hear things like, “Go and study Law so we will have a lawyer in our family;” as if not having a lawyer in the family prevents the family from having access to the services of a lawyer.
Destiny diversions of this sort is the most common, yet most unnoticed. You must make up your mind to remain true to your purpose. But then it’s only your Maker that can communicate that purpose accurately to you. If you are a child of God, go to Him and know what He wants you to do with your life. If you’re not yet, please accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour now. It will be very painful when on your death-bed you discover that you spent your whole life chasing shadows, pleasing men and conforming to societal expectations without being true to yourself and your Maker.
God ordained that Zebulun will rejoice in his going out, and Issachar in his tent (Deut. 33:18). Any attempt to reverse the order will spell calamity. We are created differently, and the source of our fulfilment will undoubtedly be different. Some of us are designed to make it (get fulfilment) by “going out” – hustling, business etc. When we try to do things that require us to “stay in our tent,” we find it very frustrating. Some of us too are designed to make it by “staying in our tents” – civil service, teaching, management, R&D etc. We find it herculean to go out there and hustle. None is actually better than the other, for God who ordained Zebulun to derive joy by going out also ordained Issachar to do so by staying in their tents.
By the way, the tribe of Zebulun became very successful in international (over-seas) trade (=> going out), while the tribe of Issachar became very successful in agriculture, especially animal husbandry (=> staying in tents). This teaches us that we must not look down on any career or work, for in ALL labour, there is profit (Prov.14:23a KJV). Society has a different opinion, but we stand on the Word of God. Even a casual look will reveal to us that in every work done by men on earth, you will find both the successful and the unsuccessful; and the percentage of the unsuccessful is usually larger!
This proves that it’s not about the job, but the person doing it. When you do what you’re designed to do in life, you cannot not be successful in it – ceteris paribus. Therefore, “Act like people with good sense and not like fools. These are evil times, so make every minute count. Don't be stupid. Instead, find out what the Lord wants you to do. (Eph. 5:15-17 [CEV])”
To prevent your destiny from being diverted, you must begin now to live the script of God your Maker. Summon courage to reject every other script, even if you've been playing it out all these while. And tear into shred any script you may have written for anybody – even if it’s your spouse or your child! Instead, help (guide) the person to discover him/herself and live out his/her full potential.
God Bless You.
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