Beyond Destiny: Some Answers Just Beg the Question

By Wesley Raphael Sr.

Are you avoiding Church? Is your prayer life waning or non existent? Do you feel you are an imposter? Are you considered a back-slider? Have experienced a public failure that you cannot hide? Are you tired of privately struggling with persistent sins or temptations while publicly being looked up to as an inspiration? When we reach this point in our spiritual lives our Destiny begins to look a lot like us, mired in failure and misfortune, God's disapproval is clearer to us than ever but what of His Love? Could God still Love us or have we fallen beyond His reach? God would not have anyone ignorant of His Glorious plan of Salvation. In its pages the pure truth is exposed with simplicity and confidence. This book is God's personal invitation for you and me to go Beyond Destiny. 100% of SALES PROFITS - WILL BE DONATED TO SUPPORT CHRISTIAN EDUCATION AND YOUTH MINISTRIES THAT THE AUTHOR SUPPORTS.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Apr 6, 2011
• ISBN: 9781257401345

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Beyond Destiny: Some Answers Just Beg the Question

Beyond Destiny:

Some Answers Just Beg the Question

Wesley Raphael Sr

Copyright ©2017 Wesley Raphael, Sr. All rights reserved

ISBN  978-1-257-40134-5

All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers and/or author.

Bible Translations* used:

American Standard Version (ASV);

Amplified Bible (AMP);

Contemporary English Version (CEV);

God’s Word (GW);

King James Version (KJV)**;

Modern King James Version (MKJV)

New International Version (NIV)

*No Paraphrased Bibles are quoted in this book

**Default (King James Version used when not cited)

DEDICATION

My mom and dad are extremely important to me and I hope that they are realizing the fruits of their personal sacrifice and investment in my spiritual training. 10 of 12 year they provided me with a good Christian education. My mom added to that, regular church attendance and daily family devotion. Despite my objections and willfulness my parents prevailed. I hope they know that this new seed which is being planted is a tribute in their honor to the glory of God.

Christian Education is one of the primary reasons why I am alive today and writing about spiritual things. The implanting of spiritual knowledge in the mind and heart of a child goes a long way towards the preservation of both the body and soul of the child. All the oxygen and food in the world can only sustain a body that is functioning properly but cannot sustain or preserve the soul or secure salvation. Christ & Moses declared that Man shall not live by bread alone…

Christian education transforms the currency of this present world into fruit from the tree of life. The longer a child can feed the more they can grow into the image designed by their Creator, an image designed to live eternally

My wife Denice is an educator by trade. Denice moved from the public sector to serve as principal and teacher of a small Christian church school associated with our local denomination. She has done this at a great sacrifice but I am proud to know her commitment and I recognize her calling. The volunteers and the tireless efforts of everyone she works with and who daily face the challenge of sustaining a church school have inspired me.

This book is a tribute to all parents & guardians, who have sacrificed financially to put a child in a Christian school. It is a tribute to educators and benevolent benefactors committed to providing access to Christian education.

I have decided to commit 100% of the proceeds from the sales of this book to assist in the promotion of Christian education. This book has been offered to God and therefore should be used to raise funds for scholarship and financial assistance for those desiring religious education.

I am humbled to have been able to write this book. While it is a small work in volume it was huge in scope and I believe that from the beginning God has had a plan for me in the writing of this book that goes beyond its impact on future readers and hopefully future generations. The journey was everything and yet it clearly is only the beginning. I thank God for the journey. I thank God for your investment in the future and destiny of another. 

INTRODUCTION

If you are reading this, you have chosen to, or have been invited, to share in my quest for understanding. Behold the fear of the Lord, that is Wisdom; and to depart from evil is Understanding. Job 28:28.

I have long been fearful of the word predestination. I first became aware of this word as a child. There are 2 villains in Bible history that stands out beyond all antagonists depicted in the Bible. Both easy to hate and disdain but one strikes more fear in the hearts of the would-be followers of Christ, because we can put a face on him that looks remarkably similar to ours while the other villain’s physical identity remains cloaked in caricature, mythology and mysticism.

A popular 70’s comedian named Flip Wilson had a famous skit and line which always ended in the phrase, The Devil made me do it. The Devil being the unseen villain described in the previous paragraph becomes diminished, only adding to the humor of the statement. Although it is meant in humor, it actually lightens the whole concept of the great controversy and origin of sin; In fact, it excuses sin. When you mess up, why not blame it on the Devil, right? For those of you who have once come to the point of repentance and yet repeatedly struggle for the mastery over sin, this is all too serious. You are my intended audience. For those of you who have questions and are unsure, hopefully you will find this to be a worthwhile experience.

Since we have identified the Devil as one of the villains it’s time to identify the other villain, Judas Iscariot. Why Judas? Because Judas, as introduced in the New Testament, is the lying, back-stabbing, money grubbing, traitorous, hypocritical friend, follower and confidant we all should fear being associated with. Judas was the Disciple and betrayer of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Was Judas a product of the Devil’s mischief or simply a bad seed? Was Judas predestined to become the betrayer of Christ and doomed for hell? Is Judas proof that we are doomed to follow a certain path in life whether it is good or evil?

I would like to make one thing very clear, while you can be influenced by the Devil, you can’t be the Devil. This is because the Devil is not a man. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood… Ephesians 6:12. You can however be like Judas, because Judas was a man. For all those who want to be like Mike no one wants to be like Judas. Judas, though unknown to his fellow disciples at the time, was also their greatest fear. When confronted with the prophecy of the ultimate betrayal of Christ and the consequential doom of the perpetrator in their midst, the Disciples all asked the dreaded question that many struggling Christians ask today. And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord is it I? Matthew 26:22.

Christ told his disciples …Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27. How can we not fear? How can we not be troubled when we read only three chapters later in Christ’s prayer to his Father for his disciples this reference to Judas? "…Those you have given me, I guarded and protected and not one of them has perished or is lost except the son of perdition [Judas Iscariot - The one who is now doomed to destruction, destined to be lost], that the scripture might be fulfilled. John 17:12 AMP.

Just what does this all mean to the believer, the aspiring, victorious Christian? That is what I hope to uncover, if not for you, certainly for myself. You see, maybe you are not all together like me. Maybe you have not after years of combating familiar sins in your life feared that you could possibly never be rid of those habits, thoughts, motivations, and actions that you know will later condemn you in the judgment. Maybe you never entertained the thought of just throwing up your hands in despair and surrendering to your destiny or your ignoble fate. Christian writers, preachers and teachers alike have told us over the years that we are not predestined to hell but amidst the struggle over sin it certainly sounds more like canned theology, mere slogans and clichés. Is it just wishful thinking?

The frustration of the masses is that of an identity crisis. No one really knows you. Cloaked beneath layers of social, physical, economical and spiritual personas, we appear to be something that many of us (in the heat of the battle) are reminded that we are not. We are often rudely awakened to the truth that we barely know ourselves. Destiny and identity become a morbid obsession and a convenient vehicle careening us helplessly in tow, towards our doom or success. If it seems hopeless then it is only because many of us have not come to terms with the concept of hidden or mistaken identity. If destiny must be tied to who we are, then we must find the identity to choose, that will propel us towards the destiny we desire. That identity must be pointed out in God’s word; therefore, we must go beyond fanciful thoughts and erroneous fears. By the grace of God, we must go beyond destiny.

It is my prayer that after reading this book you will have been encouraged by the love of God and His many precious promises to believers. It is my hope that your life and outlook will improve with each passing page and that you will embrace each day with renewed faith and belief; even as the Apostle Paul, Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Philippians 1:6.

Sincerely,

Wesley B. Raphael, Sr.

The Author

Chapter 1

Do You Feel Lucky?

Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all Ecclesiastes 9:11 ESV.

Ever have one of those mornings, maybe it is a week, a month or even a year that seems to be plagued with misfortune and foul events? When viewed collectively we tend to clump it all together. All I know is that you rarely have to wait that long to make a determination. Well, it all begins somewhere, doesn't it?

How many times have I been behind schedule in an attempt to get to work? Well, I can't count them on my fingers and toes, for sure.  Each occurrence is a little different. I