Let me tell you about The Destiny Trust. The African charity provides housing for out-of-school kids and gives them access to quality education.

Four years ago, I was scrolling on Twitter (as X was then called), when I saw a random post from @TosinOlaseinde talking about the organization’s work.

I mistook them for another charity I’d previously heard about and was intending to support, and so my foundation sent a donation.

Upon realizing they were not the originally intended organization, for some reason, I kept supporting them.

Now, I’m not the type to take packs of food to orphanages every Christmas. They are not my foundation’s CSR focus. But for some reason, we have stayed.

After a while, we decided to support the education of 20 kids from primary school to university. This might be a 15-year financial commitment.

Why Am I Telling You This?

A number of serendipitous events happened:

1. I had a desire to support a charity (albeit a different one).
2. Tosin tweeted at the right time.
3. The Destiny Trust had a structured platform that could receive a grant.
4. God wanted to impact the destinies of a specific group of children.

Lessons From My Encounter

After that experience, I learnt the following:

1. I was probably not God’s first choice, since orphanages don’t naturally spark my interest. But I was available and followed through.
2. Tosin had no clue she would indirectly shape the destinies of 20 souls with a tweet.
3. The Destiny Trust didn’t come looking for me. But they were busy doing the Lord’s work – helping children.
4. There might be others God directs to support the orphanage. As long as the organization focuses on the mission, God will keep sending help.
5. Collaboration is the key to implementing God’s projects.

Four Things In Play

I think when God desires to do things on earth, four things are in play:

1. Competence
2. Availability
3. Willingness
4. Speed

Competence

Does God call the unqualified? Many times. But some roles require skill.

David was a warrior, and had a music talent that brought him to the King’s court. (I Samuel 16:18; 1 Samuel 18:7)

Moses understood politics, governance and science and so, could lead a nation and write scripture about cosmology. (Acts 7:22)

To deliver nations, God needs competent people. Institutions rarely survive for long in the hands of bumbling fools.

Competence, wisdom and creativity are uncommon. Courage is even rarer. In 1 Kings 19:18, there were 7,000 people who didn’t bow to Baal (which is a minority considering the size of the nation). But there was only one Elijah.

Some qualities are not equally distributed in a generation. At times when an incompetent person executes a project for God, they create an entirely new set of problems that need to be resolved for generations to come.

Availability

God may ask someone to do a thing, but they are not readily available.

There were many brilliant exiles in Babylon, but only Daniel and his friends chose to do what God liked. (Daniel 1:8-16)

Some folks are too busy for God. They keep postponing his projects.

Willingness

In the book of Jonah, the prophet was qualified for the job but unwilling. And who knows how many Ninevites lost a chance to repent while he was moving in the opposite direction from where God sent him.

There are three reasons why folks do things for God:

1. They love him and would gladly volunteer for the things he cares about.
2. They want something in return. It’s transactional.
3. They have no choice.

Many prophets fall into the third category. Like Jonah, God will frustrate you and ensure you achieve nothing of significance until you heed your calling. You will typically obey grudgingly.

I believe it’s better to go with option one.

Speed

Have you ever wondered what happened to the average citizen any time Israel had a succession of bad kings? In some instances, what followed was idolatry, pain, suffering, and death (2 Kings 21:16).

You would think God would miraculously replace the bad ruler with a good one. But he waited until someone was available.

This means a problem can persist for decades and people will die until someone chooses to lead, and solve the problem.

And no, I don’t mean a single Messiah. I think there are usually many options. But if no one steps up, God waits. Since he doesn’t dwell in time, he won’t feel the weight of the wasted years. It is humans who do.

A bad leader wastes people’s lives (usually in four year instalments). When you delay a project God puts in your heart:

Lives can be lost.

Dreams could die.

Destinies may be truncated.

Innovations won’t get launched.

Progress might be stalled.

Peace may be broken.

Nations could deteriorate.

Have You Been Called? Here’s What to Do

If you feel the burden of God’s call or if he’s asked you to complete specific projects, here’s what follows:

1. 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲: Believe him and take him at his word. Then accept the call.

2. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: the next step may be painful and traumatic. God will spend some time pruning you of selfish ambition and unserviceable values.

You might be in the wilderness for years and will cry a lot. But this stage is important.

When you emerge, you will be indifferent to the things of the world, and accepting of God’s will.

3. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: If you put first what matters to God, he will resolve everything else in your life.

Matthew 6:33 (NLT): Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

What this means is, God’s projects will be at the top of your daily checklist. You resume with God first before going to work. And, at the end of the day, you measure your accomplishments by how far his interests have progressed.

4. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴: You need dedicated resources for God’s ideas. They are not side projects or add-ons. They are the main thing.

At the least, hire an intern to live and breathe the project daily.

You may have noticed this already – God appreciates a sense of urgency and speed. Lives are tied to what you are doing.

Furthermore, build a credible structure around your project so people can support you. No sensible person or organization wants to be associated with mediocrity.

5. 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Speak about your project on your socials and strategically engage people, especially in person. If it’s God’s idea, after you’ve done what you know how to do, God will send help for the rest.

When people want to collaborate with you, they will look for a track record of integrity and excellence in other parts of your life.

What’s more, be clear about what you need help for. Articulate your needs, so you can immediately plug people in when they come.

In Conclusion, Be Bold and Courageous

If God has asked you to do something for him, you are the right choice.

Favour is available and the resources already exist. Take the first step forward.

Thank you for reading.