A young man met me years ago with a statement I had to correct; “I envy someone like you who is already obeying God in full-time ministry. People like us are trusting God to leave business and be in ministry.” I simply told him; “Stop the comparison; be sure you are doing what God wants you to do. You don’t have to be in ministry full-time like me.”
Friend, you need to avoid comparison. Your destiny is unique, so there is no need to compare yourself with others (2 Corinthians 10:12). Destiny is not competition. You are not trying to outdo others; you are only living the script that Heaven has written concerning you (Matthew 26:24, Hebrews 10:7). It is about keeping focus on the program and schedule of God for you as you keep following Him.
Until the devil succeeds in distracting you, He has no power to destroy you. One of the characteristics of God’s end time army is that they would maintain their lane and keep focused on their assignment (Joel 2:7). Like Peter, the fact that Jesus gave an assignment to you does not mean that your friend is useless or irrelevant (John 21:22).
Sometimes, it looks as if God is only dealing with you, and you cannot see Him engage your friend (2 Timothy 1:6). It may look as though you keep having a stirring to pray and fast while your friends sleep and loaf about. The way your pastor handles you in Church and puts you in strict training, development, and even corrections may be so different from fellow church members that you begin to compare yourself with them (Jeremiah 3:15).
God might be restricting you from doing what other people do freely (Daniel 1:8). It is not about what is sinful or not but about the peculiarity of your destiny. Probably, you have been sacrificing a lot for the sake of the kingdom, and you look stupid to others who are living large and unconcerned about kingdom matters (Mark 10:28-30). Don’t compare yourself. The value of your life is in giving it, not in keeping it (Mark 8:35, Galatians 6:7-9).
You can keep comparing yourself with others till you lose sight of your unique destiny, or you can stay focused and faithful in your calling and assignment (Acts 20:24, 2 Timothy 1:12). It is a choice. Like John the beloved, some people are reserved for special assignments. What matters is how ready they are for that assignment (John 19:26-27, Revelation 1:1). The fact that you are age mates does not mean that you are destiny mates.
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria