DON’T CHOOSE YOUR ASSIGNMENT
Recently, I gave my daughter something to do for me. She sluggishly tried to do it for some minutes and left it. After some time, she saw me doing another thing that I guessed would interest her. She immediately came over and requested that I allow her to do it for me. My response to her supplied a vital understanding; don’t choose your assignment.
Friend, don’t choose your assignment. When it comes to life and destiny, you are to choose what God has chosen for you (Amos 7:14-15). Destiny assignment is not like career choice. You can choose to be a doctor, lawyer, engineer, banker, etc. But you cannot choose to be a pastor. You cannot choose to be a missionary. You cannot choose your destiny assignment.
Sometimes, what God chose for you may not be what you like to do. It may not even be what you are naturally gifted or talented in (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). The fact that you are an orator or natural speaker does not mean you should be an evangelist. This is why God can choose a stammerer to be a prophet (Exodus 4:10-12). God can choose a fisherman to be an apostle, etc. (Matthew 4:19, Acts 4:13).
Like my daughter, many people are following what they like instead of what God wants for them. If God chooses you to do what you naturally love, then you need to tread with caution by ensuring that you depend on Him and not on your passion or skill (Philippians 3:7-10). But for most of us, it would not be like that. It may not even look like what we can do in the natural. Once we accept it, the grace for it is released (Romans 4:16, 2 Corinthians 12:9).
Destiny assignment is not to be decided. It is to be discovered. This is why “Lord, what will you have me do” is one of the most powerful prayers you can ever pray (Acts 9:6). While it may be okay to begin with whatever your hands find to do, you need to keep growing to the point where you do what is chosen for you and not just what your hands find to do (Ecclesiastes 9:10, Acts 26:19). You need to move from the general to the specific.
What you naturally want or desire is already accommodated in what God has chosen for you. But you would need to prioritise divine choice if you want your desires to be granted (Matthew 6:33). This is the blessedness of living a consecrated life. A life that is consecrated to God’s purpose will end up having more than He would have chosen for Himself (Philippians 2:5-11). Don’t choose your assignment.
‘Demola Awoyele
Akure, Nigeria
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria