[Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Are you surrounded by destiny derailers? (1)

By Oke Chinye

Read: 1 Samuel 17: 1-30

Meditation verse:

“Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was aroused against David, and he said, “why did you come down here…?” (1 Sam 17:28a).

Destiny derailers are those who either intentionally or unintentionally, discourage or distract you from living out your destiny. They are also known as dream busters, and they manifest in different forms:

Small-minded people: These are petty and unambitious folks who prefer to discuss and dwell on petty issues. They are usually uncomfortable when issues like goals, dreams and visions are discussed. When you discuss your dreams with them, they say you are too ambitious. David’s oldest brother, Eliab burned with anger on hearing David’s discussions about going forward to fight Goliath. His perception of David was: “my kid brother who was just a shepherd boy”. He said to David, “why have you come down here and with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness”? (1 Sam 17:28). But David turned away from him to someone else. I once advised a lady to change her friends when she told me they always discouraged her from pursuing her life goals. Small-minded people fill your mind with doubts about your dreams and if you stick around them for long, you end up thinking small like them.

Miserable Sympathizers: These ones keep cheering you on even when you are making no effort towards your dream. Rather than challenging you to go the extra mile, they keep giving you reasons why you should remain in your comfort zone. They say to you: “you are okay the way you are, you do not need to do this, since you have already done that. After all, not many people have achieved half of what you have achieved”. They are called ‘miserable sympathizers’ because they appear to be doing you a favour and may indeed have your best interest at heart. You may even feel good around them. However, in the long run, they will keep you stuck in your comfort zone.

You would need to avoid both kinds of people if you are desirous of becoming all you were created for.

IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Pst (Mrs) Oke Chinye, Founder of The Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM).

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