"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of
his friend" (Proverbs 27:17).
There is no doubt that the God of heaven we serve truly has a father's heart. His intention in creating man was to have a family. It is his great love for you and I that motivates him to take a father's place in our lives. "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named" (Ephesians 3:14-15). Just as each of us who are in Christ make us the family of God on this earth, those that have gone on before make up the family of God in heaven. Together we are the household of faith.
Paul wrote to the Hebrew believers and said, "Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us" (Heb. 12:1). Although the saints that are now in heaven have crossed that great divide, there is still a divine connection that exists between us. They are very much aware of how we run our spiritual race, and know things about our destiny. You may recall the time that Jesus was on the mount of transfiguration. In all three gospel accounts it tells us that Moses and Elijah appeared and talked with him. In the book of Luke, he specifically mentions that they spake to him about his decease which he should accomplish in Jerusalem. Evidently, they knew things about his divine purpose that was necessary for them to come and talk to him about.
I remember a dream I had many years ago. I was standing in a pulpit preaching the Word and as I looked down upon myself, I noticed two individuals standing on my left and on my right. I recognized both of them as two very powerful intercessors who had gone on to be the Lord. Although I didn't know them personally in this life, I did have the privilege of sitting under their ministry on several occasions. I was not aware of what they were praying, but I knew they were assisting me spiritually and that through a divine impartation the strength of God came over me.
Our association with the family of God creates what I call divine connections. Sometimes these connections are of a heavenly nature, more often they are of an earthly nature. For instance, you may find yourself burdened with prayer and not ever know the reason. But as you give voice to that unction the Holy Spirit may have you praying for someone on the opposite end of the world. I've found myself caught up in this kind of experience on many occasions. Sometimes I know the direction of what it is I'm praying about, and other times I'm just obeying the unction as the Spirit moves me to pray. It is vital that we understand that heaven and earth are working together in much the same way as it is when we are praying by the Spirit. There are times when heaven assists us in matters of spiritual importance. Are we always aware of that connection? Sometimes we are and sometimes we aren't. I believe there will be things revealed to us when we get to heaven that will amaze us as to how heaven was intricately connected to things we accomplished on the earth.
Divine connections are not only made between heaven and earth, but are very often instrumental in helping us make divine connections here on the earth. I have no doubt in my mind that it was through a divine intervention that I was connected to the ministry of Kenneth E. Hagin. I am convinced that the destiny on my life has been impacted in more ways than I could ever imagine through our association. People we have been connected with in ministry have also had a great impact. If you study the Bible, you will find on many occasions individuals who were empowered to carry out their destiny because of having a divine connection with someone else. For instance Elisha, who was able to step into his destiny because of the association he had with Elijah. The same thing held true for Esther and her relationship with Mordecai.
Sometimes our relationships can appear to be only for a season but the connection made has far more reaching and eternal implications. I believe God allows destinies to be shaped by these divine connections so that we cannot fulfill our purpose without them.
The scripture tells us, "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend" (Proverbs 27:17). There are people we encounter in life who inspire us. They come along and without warning make a deposit in us for destiny. It seems almost like God has strategically placed them in our path to influence the course of our lives. Their purpose might be to add something to our perspective, to see something the way we have never seen it before. It might be to help us stay our course, to inspire us with a new sense of vision, or to influence us in a way that adds strength and resolve to our divine purpose. For whatever reason they are sent, we must value their deposit and learn how to incorporate it into our lives. Divine connections come to aid and assist us in accomplishing the plan of God. We must not take them lightly.
