Divine Appointments in Your Daily Routine

Acts 16:6-15

⁶ And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. ⁷ And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. ⁸ So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. ⁹ And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” ¹⁰ And when Paulhad seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

¹¹ So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, ¹² and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of thedistrict of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. ¹³ And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. ¹⁴ One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. ¹⁵ And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us. (ESV)

Wingmen, the Christian life is the most exciting life anyone could ever live. Each day is a day of discovery, a day of divine appointments in your daily routine. In Webster’s Dictionary, the word “coincidence” occurs. It means “an accidental and remarkable occurrence of events, ideas, etc. at the same time…” With God, there are no coincidences. For a Christian who lives in the will of God, things don’t just happen. You never know in your daily routine what or whom God is going to place in your path that you will be able to touch with the love of God that could change their lives, even their eternal destinies.What is a divine appointment? It is an event, often unplanned, when a particular person or circumstance crosses your path that gives you an opportunity to make a difference and receive a blessing. A divine appointment for someone who has never been saved is: An event whereby God engineers a circumstance to give him or her the opportunity to be saved. Paul lived with a readiness for divine appointments. Through his life we discover Seven Principles to Experience a Divine Appointment in Your Daily Routine:I. Prayer Must Become a PriorityPaul was a mighty man of prayer. He prayed for divine appointments. Prayer places you in the path of divine appointments. Prayer directs your circumstances and makes you aware when a divine appointment is happening to you. Prayer becomes the lens whereby you see those divine appointments.II. Disobedience Must Never Be an Option (Acts 16:9-10)Once Paul knew exactly what God wanted him to do, he immediately obeyed the Lord. There is no hesitancy, argument, delay or thinking about it, just obedience. Your responsibility is to obey. It is God’s responsibility to work out the details. Obedience means doing what God tells you to do even when you haven’t figured out the “How.”III. Setbacks Are Not Always from Satan (Acts 16:6-7)Sometimes those setbacks are designed by the Lord so that a divine appointment can occur. Disappointments are sometimes God’s appointments. When you have done everything God has told you to do, pay attention to the roadblocks because it may be God leading you in a different direction.IV. The World Is Waiting for a Willing Witness (Acts 16:9-10)God’s timing is always perfect. God will reveal His will to you in His time. Your job is to always be available to God. Through a vision, God spoke to Paul about His assignment for Him. God would send Paul to Macedonia to bring the gospel. Every day know that there is someone whose path you will cross who needs a relationship with Jesus Christ. Be that willing witness to share your story of how Jesus saved you.V. Praise Must Become a Practice (Acts 16:25)Paul lived in an atmosphere of praise to God. When Paul and Silas were thrown into prison for preaching the gospel, at midnight they were praising God. The other prisoners were attentively listening. When you praise the Lord, especially during bad times, it gets the world’s attention. There is something about a faith that sings in the middle of an adverse circumstance.VI. Angels Will Accompany and Arrange Divine CircumstancesAngels are active in the lives of believers to guide, protect, and engineer circumstances. I believe it was an angel who made the earth quake and opened the prison doors releasing Paul and Silas. Ask God for His angels to orchestrate circumstances for a divine appointment.VII. Readiness to Give a ReasonWhen a divine appointment comes you must be ready. When Paul came across Lydia, he led her to Jesus Christ. She was the first convert in Europe. When encountering a girl who was demon-possessed, he was ready. When the Philippian jailer was about to commit suicide, Paul was ready and led him and his entire family to faith in Jesus.

1 Peter 3:15

¹⁵ but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;So each day do the following:

1. Take time to know what you believe and why you believe it.
2. Commit your day to the Lord by praying and asking the Holy Spirit to fill you before you leave your home.
3. Ask the Lord to give you a divine appointment that day.
4. Pray for angelic guidance that day.
5. Go on about your daily routine.
6. Be open to divine impressions.

Know that each and every day you live, God has divine appointments. Those are dependent upon you obeying God and walking in His will in order to discover them. How exciting!