I’m sure you’ve heard the statement “Life is a series of choices.” To some, that’s too simple, but it really is true. Your decisions determine your destiny.
When we take a vacation we have a goal, and every turn we take is calculated to help us reach our destination. We check the map often and make a few adjustments when we miss a turn. We may not do it perfectly, but we get to where we want to go, because of decisions.
Likewise, you make decisions every day that move you closer to your God-ordained destiny—or away from it. There is no such thing as just sitting still or putting God’s plan for your life on hold. That’s a deception. God’s will for you is intertwined with His will for others, and that is a constantly moving and changing dynamic. It’s like catching a flight. You can miss it.
It’s true that the Lord can get you to your destiny another way. He’s certainly smarter than a GPS device that “recalculates” when you miss a turn. There is always a later flight with God. But who wants the hassle, disappointment, and delay that comes with missing a connection? I want God’s best. Don’t you?
When you are on a road trip, those who are ahead of you can be valuable sources of information. It doesn’t matter how you feel about them personally. The fact that they have already driven the road gives them insights that you need. They can tell you what accommodation and restaurants are available. Or they can let you know of a wreck or construction ahead and then advise an alternative route. You would be foolish not to draw on the insights of others who have gone before you.
Destiny Stories are the stories of individuals who have made choices that changed their lives for the better. They are people just like you, with challenges, failures, pasts, and even successes that stood in the way of them following God’s will for their lives. But with a few good decisions, they made their lives count.
Take, for instance, Kevin and Rachel Dowling. They were living on the streets of New York. Homeless and helpless, they were dope addicts with no good future. But through a woman at one of the soup kitchens they frequented, they found the Lord and His love. Five years later, they were free from dope, but still lacked direction for their lives. Then they went to Bible College, and everything began to change.
Not only have they been set free from the feelings of unworthiness and shame that dominated their lives, but now they are bringing others into their newfound freedom. The ones who used to sleep in cardboard boxes and eat out of trash cans are now providing food and the Gospel to thousands of other people who need a new destination.
Or take Leland Shores, who was a successful businessman in Dallas, Texas. While he lay on the floor, nearly choking to death on a sandwich, his life flashed before him, and he knew that all his “successes” were worth nothing. When he recovered, he made the decision to sell everything he had and dedicate his life to the Lord.
That one decision led Leland to Bible College and eventually Africa, where he helped establish the Discipleship Evangelism course, which has now reached nearly 500,000 people. Leland also established a bookstore in downtown Kampala, Uganda, where hundreds of people have been born again and baptized in the Holy Spirit. If that weren’t enough, Leland started bible school, with over 100 students who are changing Uganda.
Leland died unexpectedly in June 2011, but in the eleven years since he made the decision to make his life count for the Lord, he did more than most people do in a lifetime. And because Leland’s emphasis was on discipleship, his disciples are continuing the work he began. Numerous people have been raised from the dead through those Leland reached. Disciples are ministering on the radio daily, and others are holding crusades with signs and wonders. Leland’s impact is just beginning.
Carrie Pickett is a young woman who came to bible school fresh out of high school. She had known that the Lord had a call on her life since she was a little girl, but she was transformed by the Word and her mission’s trip to Russia. God put a love in her heart that she has been following for the last thirteen years in Russia.
Some would think of all that Carrie gave up going to Russia. She’s an attractive young lady who put her personal desires for a family on the altar to serve the Lord. But God had the perfect husband for Carrie—in Russia. She would have missed him if she hadn’t followed the Lord to the ends of the earth. Now she and her husband, Mike, have a beautiful daughter, Elliana.
Their lives are making a big impact. They not only have established a bible school in St. Petersburg, but they also have a goal of starting 1,000 new Bible colleges in the next five years and are well on their way to seeing the completion of that vision. They were also responsible for getting books and television broadcasts translated into Russian. Through their efforts, the Gospel Truth television broadcast now reaches 160 million homes in Russia every weekday across eleven time zones.
What would all these people’s lives have been like if they hadn’t made the decisions they did? An even greater question might be, what would the lives of the millions of people they’ve affected have been like without them? Every one of us has a God-ordained destiny that is designed to touch others. We are carrying other people’s miracles. I don’t think we can fully comprehend this. It is certain, however, that the lives of millions of people were changed simply because these “heroes of the faith” made the right decisions.
Are you certain that the decisions you are making every day are the ones the Lord wants you to make? If you can’t answer that affirmatively, then what is stopping you? Most people don’t intentionally decide to miss their destinies; they just get busy with the cares of this life, and before they know it, they are in a rut that they can’t seem to get out of.
But remember, your life is the result of choices—YOUR choices. Others can influence or hinder you, but your choices are the determining factor of your destiny. It is never too late to make the right choices.
My spiritual life started with making a choice, to receive Jesus as my Lord.
Romans 12 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
He showed me His will for my life was to be completely committed to Him. That’s the main thing. I started seeking to become a living sacrifice to the Lord with all my heart.
Although I have struggled I made an absolute and complete, unconditional surrender to the Lord that has propelled me to the life I live today. I’ve made thousands of decisions since then, but the decision to unconditionally follow God’s will for my life started it all.
The fact that you are receiving this message is the result of decisions made by you and me. I decided to follow the Lord and teach His Word, and you decided to read it. Our lives have been connected because of decisions. Decisions determine destiny.
My study of the Word of God has been the single most influential force on my decisions. God’s Word is a light to our path (Ps. 119:105). All we really have to do is put the seed of God’s Word in our hearts, and it will change us effortlessly. That’s how God established His kingdom.
I encourage you to go to our website and view the special live-streaming internet broadcast I did back in July. I fully discussed where we are in the process of building this Bible college campus and where we are going with it. I also asked that you help me make another decision.
Decisions do determine destiny, but those decisions must be based on the truth of the Word. It was the Word of God that changed my life, and it will change your life as well.
The Lord has awesome things planned for your life. Regardless of what things look like now, your positive decisions can change everything.