We Are His Poetry
Every poem that has ever been written in the world... there’s no two that are exactly the same. The same is true for us – we are all different. There is no one on Earth with your DNA, your hair colour, your eye colour with the combination of your passion and gifts, your skills, your likes and dislikes, and your family upbringing. You are created in the image of God and are specially fashioned and designed for a special purpose that would not have been bestowed upon anyone else!
Ephesians 2:10 (TPT)
“We have become His poetry, a re-created people that will fulfill the destiny He has given each of us, for we are joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. Even before we were born, God planned in advance our destiny and the good works we would do to fulfill it!”
WE WEREN’T MADE TO COMPARE
Nothing good comes from comparing. It either makes us really proud or makes us depressed. It’s when we keep looking at others thinking, “I wish...”. I wish I looked like them, I wish I had their skin colour, I wish I was sportier. The enemy gets us to think of all these things and we often get so busy comparing that we forget what’s in our hand to give. But you have a destiny and everything in your destiny brings pleasure to God. He wants to see you thrive!
A LESSON I LEARNED ABOUT COMPARISON
One time, I was having a conversation with someone who said “you know, next year, is going to be the year of ‘me’!” She went on to tell me about how she had been so busy the year before, taking care of other people, that she was going to make the year about her. She was going to take up ballet, learn art, do all sorts of creative things in the time for herself. And I’m sitting there... I’m starting to compare. Afterwards, I storm into my bedroom where my husband is and I’m re-telling him the story – “Do you believe this?!” I say... “I’m suffering for the Lord, and she gets to do anything she wants to do!” All he tells me to do is to go and talk to the Lord.
So I’m having this full tantrum to the Lord in my bathroom and I hear the Holy Spirit cut across my thoughts:
What if her purpose in life was purely to bring Me pleasure by being creative in art and dancing? What if that was the reason I put her on Earth?
In that moment, God reminded me that my purpose in life is different. I have to keep running my race and stop looking at the other lanes that other people are running in. I was about to lose a friendship by comparing myself to what I didn’t have. The release I felt in not comparing allowed me to then celebrate her and have joy within myself. I’ll just keep doing what I do and celebrate others too!
WITH JESUS, WE CAN DO GOOD WORKS
“Yahweh, You alone are my inheritance. You are my prize, my pleasure, and my portion. You hold my destiny and its timing in Your hands. Your pleasant path leads me to pleasant places. I’m overwhelmed by the privileges that come with following You.”
It’s interesting that King David wrote this verse because when he was alive, he did make some bad choices. We would read all the bad things he had done and think, man, he’s probably outdone his destiny. It’s probably over for him. But when he was addressed by the prophet, he wrote in Psalm 51, “Create in me a clean heart, Lord, and renew a right spirit within me.” He came before God with a humble heart and the Lord saw that, and God’s response was to still bless him.
The lesson we learn from this is this: no matter how much we have messed up in the past, when you come to God with a repentant heart, God will forgive you and you can still do good works with God with the purpose and gift that He has for you.
GIVING THE KEYS TO OUR LIVES BACK TO GOD
Sometimes, we may have received a prophetic word about our lives, and we think... “God, maybe You got it wrong.” I’ve been there. I’ve told God, “that’s not me... that’s probably not going to happen, God.” And because of my own response, or what I’ve thought of the prophet, those prophetic words have probably been delayed, and it’s taken a while longer to get where I am supposed to.
What if you’re finding yourselves in the same shoes? Some of you – God has called you to do things – to pastor, to preach, to be a doctor, to be a lawyer, to serve in your local campus, to serve in your home. But perhaps, you’re telling God “no”. How are you treating the words that have been spoken over you that are truly from God?
When I went away from the Lord, I did my own thing, and I hit rock bottom. I was on the floor of my bedroom, crying, and I heard the Lord say...
“I died on the Cross so you wouldn’t have to live like this. Would you give me the keys back to your life?”
TAKING BABY STEPS
I recommitted my life right there, in that moment. There was no keyboard player accompanying the moment, no worship leader singing over me. It was just me and God. I said to God that I was done doing my own story and my way of life, I’m just going to follow Him. Whatever He wanted me to do, I would. God didn’t ask me to move countries in that moment, to marry a guy I didn’t know and do all sorts of things around the world.
It started with baby steps. I went back to church, read my Bible, I started my prayer life. The destiny and the purpose that God has for you starts with the baby steps. He wants you to have the Holy Spirit, to know that no weapon formed against you can prosper, and to go after the destiny that He has for us.
Watch the full sermon of ‘We Are His Poetry’ on YouTube!
*Extracted from ‘We Are His Poetry’ sermon by Jemima Varughese
Jemima is married to Mark and leads Kingdomcity Communications Ltd. They have two sons, Zeke and Caleb.