I love this picture of Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus. Everything I will say today radiates out of having a close, intimate relationship with Father God through Jesus His Son. We are going to look at the fact that Father has specific assignments, errands, and projects He wants us to do. He has a divine destiny planned for you and for me. But we will only discover what God has planned if we are prepared to sit at His feet and listen to His voice. So, what is involved in living a purposeful life and fulfilling one’s destiny?
Today I would like to share three exhortations for those who desire to be Sons and Daughters of Destiny.
Firstly, Know That You Have A Destiny!
Eph 1:4-5 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his children...
This tells you something awesome – you were “in Him” (that is in Christ) before you were in your mother’s womb. You were in Father’s mind and in His heart and He saw who and what you would become in Christ. There was a plan in God’s heart, a purpose for your being born. You didn’t just happen, you were born on purpose for a purpose. Just as in the fullness of time, God sent His Son Jesus, so in the fullness of time He sent you.
In a sense, you are a word, (a message) from God to the world.
John 1:6 is an interesting verse that illustrates what I’m saying. Joh 1:6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.
John was part of God’s plan of salvation, a man on a mission. His purpose was predetermined before he set foot on the planet. John knew his calling, he had no delusions of grandeur, and he was not puffed up by his apparent importance. He knew that he was merely a voice in the wilderness preparing the way for Messiah’s arrival.
Jesus told an interesting parable about wheat and weeds. (You can read it in Mat 13:24-30). Jesus’ disciples didn’t fully understand what He meant, so a little later He explains it more fully. Mat 13:37-38 … "The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. (38) The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one...
In this parable, the seeds represent people both good and bad. God wants to sow His sons and daughters of the Kingdom as good seeds into the world. Know you have a destiny! You are the good seed that the Son of Man has sown into the world to make it a better place.
The second exhortation I have for you flows out of the first...
Discover Your Divine Destiny!
Eph 2:10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
This is a verse of Scripture ‘dripping with destiny’. I want to lift out three significant phrases in this verse.
“God's workmanship”
I must be clay in the hands of the Potter.
If I don’t want the world to squeeze me into its mold, I must keep putting myself in God’s hands (See Rom 12:1-2). We have a saying, “He/she is a piece of work!” – meaning someone nasty. Don’t be a piece of work, be His workmanship! As God works on you, you are ‘shaped for significance’ and ‘developed for destiny’
“Created in Christ”
Your divine destiny is intimately associated with your connectedness to Christ. You are created for dependence on Him (not independence).
If I remain in Him, I will bear much fruit, I’ll do good works as a natural outflow of my connectedness to Christ. Your destiny is in Him – stay connected to Him.
“Which God prepared in advance”
Who prepared these good works? And when? They were prepared by God in advance – before the creation of the world. You didn’t just happen, you’re a planned happening. You are not an accident, you’re an accomplishment. You are not mass-produced, you’re unique. After God made you He said, “I’ll never do that again!” God prepared the blueprint and I must position myself to see it.
Psa 139:16 ...All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Wouldn’t you just love to know what God has written in His book about your life? To find out I must snuggle up next to Father and ask Him to show me what’s written in His book concerning me. Many, especially amongst the younger generation, are struggling with the question: “What on earth am I here for?”
So, how can I practically go about discovering my destiny? Here are a few thoughts…
1. You don’t choose a destiny like a woman in a supermarket chooses groceries. Joh 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.
2. We must discover what God has chosen for us – our unique destiny in Him. As you daily walk with Jesus your destiny unfolds. It requires, surrender, consecration and yieldedness.
3. Sometimes God gives you a “sneak preview” through a mental picture, a vision, or a word of prophecy. It’s like climbing a mountain. God shows you snatches of the path ahead to keep you motivated, but you have to put your head down and climb to get there.
My third exhortation is to begin to…
Prepare for Your Destiny!
Get rid of unnecessary baggage
By baggage I mean hurts, bitterness, bondages, guilt, shame, etc. Anything that hinders my spiritual growth and destroys my confidence.
Many things in our past have profoundly impacted our lives e.g. early childhood influences, our family, etc. We may in a sense be “products of our past”, but we don’t have to remain “prisoners of our past”.
2Co 5:17 ...if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
It is my experience that living as a new creation doesn’t happen spontaneously – often focussed, divine intervention is necessary. The church should not heal people slightly and merely put on a band-aid when radical surgery may be necessary. We are not here to make converts, our commission is to make disciples. A proper discipleship program should free people from their past and prepare them to fulfill their future destinies.
Be humble enough and open enough to seek counsel and receive ministry.
Prepare for an exciting journey with Jesus
You may need to make serious decisions and take radical steps to prepare for your destiny. E.g. I had to leave my job, we had to rent out our house in Germiston (which we had renovated from top to tail) and we had to physically move to Pretoria to attend Bible College at Hatfield Christian Church. It was not easy and we shed some tears in the process, but we had the assurance that…
Psa 126:5-6 Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. (6) He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.
I believe that many people never fulfill their destiny because they are not prepared to count the cost and don’t take practical steps to prepare for that destiny. I have a saying, “Salvation is a free gift, but discipleship will cost you everything”.
After speaking about counting the cost Jesus said, Luk 14:33 ...any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
So My Challenge Today Is…
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