A Barley Field
Greetings and Peace to you, my Beloved Family!
Is your soul prospering in an overwhelming way like mine is today? I pray that you are invigorated and inspired like never before to allow the King and His Kingdom to invade every area of your life so that you can manifest the quality and quantity of life that God Himself has ordained for us all to possess.
Such a glorious time to be a part of the Kingdom, these last few weeks have literally been some of the best of my whole life. Firstly, I must admit, in authentic transparency, that for the first forty-four years of my life I was not fully in the center of my Divine Destiny. That is not to say that I was headed contrary all those years, but even when I was seeking it, there were still many places of ignorance and immaturity in my our heart that needed to be addressed (and still do…) The powerful promise from Jesus that, “if you seek, you will find,” was a lifeline unto me in those many years of missing the mark of my Father’s good plans for me. If it were not for the anointed truth delivered in love from folks like Pastor Duane and Andrew, I would still likely be floundering in Steve’s kingdom yuck-ness. This last weekend with the powerful messages from Pastor Duane and Sunday’s anticipated messages from Andrew have blessed me beyond words.
Now, I know, we are standing in the, “barley field,” of Divine Destiny watching our enemy flee as we embrace the grace of being exactly where we are supposed to be, surrounded by the ones God has thus far called to us, and looking towards the future with piercing eyes of resolve. Personally, I have never known, like I do today, the joy, peace, and grace of being in the center of God’s will, and so I write this exhortation from that perspective. I hope this letter will stir your hearts in a way that compels you by love to find, follow, and fulfill the great Divine Destiny that the Father desires for you, your family, our nation, and our collective future.
So, what is this, “barley field,” I just referenced…?
1 Chronicles 11
12And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighties.
13He was with David at Pasdammim, and there the Philistines were gathered together to battle, where was a parcel of ground full of barley; and the people fled from before the Philistines.
14And they set themselves in the midst of that parcel, and delivered it, and slew the Philistines; and the LORD saved them by a great deliverance.
Firstly, you will need to know that when this account was told in Second Samuel chapter twenty-three, it was Shammah who was highlighted. This does not mean that scripture was incorrect, it just highlights additional details from different accounts. Remember, the Word of God is inerrant and true above ALL other, “truth.” It is perfectly reliable and Divinely inspired. One of the benefits to studying the Word with purpose and personal humility is to tap into the subtle power in allowing the scriptures to interpret the Word of God instead of doing it through intellect. Putting this together, we will see that the ones that stayed to defend this barley field were David, Shammah, and Eleazar. Three men against an army. Terrible odds in the natural.
Some valuable points for us all to ponder:
- All three men were “nobodies” from “nowhere” kinda guys
- There was no reference to any massive physical advantage in physique, and David was scripturally alluded to as being a small guy
- This was “just” a barley field… why all the fuss?
- They stood in the, “midst,” right in the center of God’s will to defend what was theirs
- The enemy was equipped, prepared, in vast numbers, and inspired by the fear of the cowardly fleeing Israelis
- One of them was from a family of Dodos 😉
I could literally draw on a ton of valuable points that could bring application and inspiration to us all, but I sense the need to highlight the Divine Destiny part today. These three men represent what I call the, “Destiny Triangle,” that is biblically illustrated here. A triangle is the strongest geometric shape for construction known to us, and remember that Jesus is the great master builder. So, I believe, that is by purposeful design. For those who do not remember math class, a triangle has three sides that together create the strength and stability of the shape. If the triangle were missing a side, it would easily collapse upon itself and whatever it was supporting would immediately descend in destruction. If our lives are the beautiful building that is being held up by the strength of the Destiny triangle, then it is our very lives that collapse when the, “foundation,” is faulty.
Here are the three equal legs of the Destiny Triangle:
- WHAT you are created to do:
- Many people erroneously believe that this alone IS their destiny. Just doing the thing that you are created to do seems to be the only goal of most folks who are courageous enough to even start the process of Divine Destiny. I have been in and around the Kingdom for over forty years and, I can tell you, it is a very small minority of Christians who even dare to pursue a destiny. The large majority of church people just exist from week-to-week, “hopin’ and a’ prayin’,” that they will win the lottery of God’s blessings and just accidentally stumble into their calling while living the regular American life. Not so, Beloved… not so. Divine Destiny MUST be revealed and pursued with purpose, passion, and patience. Every born-above believer has this calling, purpose… a specific, “doing,” created in them and already empowered by Grace. This is not something one needs to go out and find, it is something one needs to go IN and find.
- WHERE you are called to do it:
- This is one of the sides of Divine Destiny that many do not even consider. There is a place called, “There,” that we have all been called to. God places provision, people, opportunity, and favor in a specific place for us before we ever arrive in that point on our timeline of life. Jesus builds a store house, fills it full of Heaven’s deposits, and then tells us where to go to find it. When people ignore the leading of the Holy Spirit and the Lordship of Jesus, they rebel against the planned route and miss the treasure. One can be doing exactly WHAT they are created to do, but be doing it in the wrong place and never experience the fulfillment and joy of really knowing that they are doing their own, “well done thou good and faithful servant.” I have personally experienced this in my own life, and I know it cost me a minimum of five years, but my amazing Lord redeemed the time… There are other times when it cost me many tens of thousands of dollars and tons of heartache. I have learned my lesson well. I know that Pearl City is my, “pearl of great price,” and I LOVE my life here!
- With WHOM you are called to do it with:
- I personally think this is the most important of them all. If you are doing the wrong thing but with the right people (and you are humbled and submitted…), the right people will help you stop doing the wrong thing and help you start doing the right thing. If you are in the wrong place and have connection to the right people, your heart will be inspired by them to start acting like a homing beacon, drawing you to the place you need to be. This is also why there is so much contention and strife in the Body of Christ (but not at Beloved!). That is a tactic of the enemy to get people AWAY from the folks that they are called to connect WITH. This is why so many carnal and immature Christians live in, “church hurt,” for much of their lives. If the enemy can get you to disconnect from the people that God desires you to be connected with… that enemy can cut apart the Body of Christ and make it impotent, powerless, and useless. The Head (Jesus) is still perfect, but the Body is broken. I am with my Beloved peeps and all of you are the ones that are part of my Divine Destiny… and very likely yours as well!
These three men stood their ground, defending the place of destiny that belonged to them, and won a great battle and experienced a, “great deliverance.” They were doing what they were created to do, in the exact right place, even though it did not look like it, and fighting with the ones that God assembled together. All three of these men went on to have great notoriety in scripture, to become excessively wealthy, and to fulfill their Divine Destiny… just because they stood in the middle of a barley field and faced down an army. Sometimes, it is the little things that have world changing consequences.
I believe each of you can stand back-to-back with your Beloved Family and chase off an enemy army!
I love you and will always fight with and for you!
Steve
