A Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. John Chinenye Oluoma, has dismissed the popular belief in "stolen destiny" as unfounded and misleading, describing it as a product of gullibility among some Christians.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Fr. Oluoma criticized the tendency of many believers to attribute personal setbacks or life difficulties to the spiritual theft of their destinies.
The cleric cited the biblical story of Esau and Jacob, where Esau lost his birthright and paternal blessing to his younger brother Jacob, as an example often misused by proponents of the "stolen destiny" narrative.
"If Esau lived today and ran to one of your 'powerful prophets', he would have been diagnosed of 'stolen destiny' and then given 'destiny recovery' prescriptions of marathon fasts, prayers, deliverance and seed sowing," he wrote.
Biblical Context Challenges Popular Belief
The priest noted that despite Esau's loss of birthright, he still prospered materially. He highlighted that when Jacob returned in Genesis 32, Esau had 400 men with him—a sign of his wealth and strength.
Fr. Oluoma added that in Genesis 33, Esau even declined Jacob's offer of gifts, saying, "I have plenty, keep what is yours," further demonstrating that his prosperity was not hindered by the loss of his father's blessing.
"What Jacob took from Esau was their biological father's blessings. God is not Isaac who got old, blind, needed bush meat pepper soup to bless, and got deceived by a woman and her favourite son," he stated, emphasizing that God's plans are not limited by human actions or deception.
Warning Against Spiritual Manipulation
The priest urged Christians to stop equating destiny with material wealth and warned that those who peddle the concept of "stolen destiny" are the ones truly misleading others.
"In fact, if there's such a thing as stolen destiny, it would be those who programmed you to believe your destiny was stolen that are actually stealing your destiny," he said, suggesting that such teachings rob believers of clarity and proper spiritual focus.
Fr. Oluoma's message challenges a widely held belief in many Nigerian Christian circles, where spiritual warfare against destiny thieves has become a common theme in sermons and prayer sessions.
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