“Shattered dreams often become the unexpected doorways to a destiny we could never appreciate without them. God has an amazing ability to turn our sin into something that will be used to build his kingdom when we turn completely away from our sin.”- Os Hillman
In Chapter 9 (“Stage 2:Character Building”) of The Joseph Calling, Os Hillman states God develops His servants through a series of character tests. Specifically, at times God places you in situations where you have no natural gifting. As Mr. Hillman notes, God places you there to experience His power. In response, you accomplish your tasks. This provides a vital step in character building.
Yet, Os underscores one thing he’s learned over the years about sin:
“You cannot take territory from the devil if he still has territory in you. Yielding to sin will always overcome you.”
Thus, you cannot bring about a spiritual end via using any area of the flesh. But God turns all things to good when we (a) give our lives to Him and (b) allow Him to deal with our past.
Yet, as with Jesus in the wilderness, a test always follows a victory. As a result, Os describes three core areas in which Satan tempted Jesus. We also experience testing in these areas.
- Identity. Satan wants us to find our identity in our work, money, or status rather than God.
- Authority. Instead of placing our dependence on God, Satan tempts us to use our own power to achieve whatever we want.
- Source of provision. Satan wants us to believe we acquire our provision through our own sweat and toil. We must remember God is the source of all our provision.
Today’s question: How have your shattered dreams functioned as unexpected doorways to your destiny? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Failure – the stepping stone to greater victory’
