One of The Summit’s overseers (and my good friend) Pastor Rusty Hayes spoke on Sunday, and his visit was a blessing as always! As you know, we’re in our Divided We Stand? series, and Pastor Rusty spoke on the topic of destiny.
I’m sure you’ve heard that a house divided against itself cannot stand (see Mark 3:25). The same is true regarding people; when they are divided against each other, they fall apart. Pastor Rusty said, “We live in a state that has so much beauty, yet we’re experiencing so much disunity and fear.” Can you relate to this? Regardless of how much this crisis has affected you, it has no doubt affected you in many ways! Sunday was a good reminder that, as believers, we need to keep our focus on our destiny.
Pastor Rusty made a good point when he said that nothing going on right now is new to God. All you have to do is read through the Bible to see examples of racial tension, political tension, disease, fear of disease, etc. This is something I’ve mentioned before! Fortunately, Jesus has words of comfort for those struggling. Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:1-3, NIV). Pastor Rusty said that Jesus tells us not to be troubled because we have a destiny—heaven, your true home! The Bible says we’re citizens of heaven (see Philippians 3:20).
Look to Scripture when you’re struggling with the tension around you, the complications COVID-19 is creating, or any hardships that you may be going through. If you’re looking for answers, you’re going to find them in the Bible! And you’re going to find hope in understanding your destiny. A word of advice: shift from negative to positive thinking to get you through this difficult time. Pastor Rusty shared James 1:17 with the church, and I absolutely love how this speaks to the heart: “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow” (NLT).
I’ll connect with you again later this week to take another look at Pastor Rusty’s message and the importance of destiny!