“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Our decisions define us, not our circumstances. When we face challenges, our choices will determine the degree of our success or failure. Fate chooses our beginning, but our decisions determine our destiny. When we decide to change is when our destiny changes.
What changes do you need to make for your destiny to change?
Some religious people believe that God has already predestined all who will spend eternity in heaven and those who will not. I don’t subscribe to such a view of God or interpret scriptures focused on predestination in that manner. Some subscribe to universalism, meaning they believe that everyone will be with God for eternity, despite their choices on earth. As much as I hope universalism is true, I can’t find anywhere in scripture to support such a view.
My understanding of predestination is that God created a design for living that leads to God, God’s Kingdom, and eternity. Those who follow that path are predestined to live forever with God on earth and in heaven. God created every human being with free will, so we decide how we will live our life. God doesn’t know who will or who won’t choose His design for living (Open Theism), but those who choose to select His design are predestined to live forever with God.
Because of free will and extreme self-centeredness, most will choose to live for themselves and miss out on the best life possible. It’s only when we choose to surrender our will and life over to God and put our will and life in line with His that we will ever be destined to live the life God created every person to live.
Jesus spoke of this often and, through scripture, warns everyone that our choices matter and will determine our destiny:
13 “Go in through the narrow gate. The gate that leads to destruction is broad and the road wide, so many people enter through it. 14 But the gate that leads to life is narrow and the road difficult, so few people find it.(Matthew 7:13-14 – CEB)
Neither God nor anyone else will determine your destination. How and where you end up in this life and for eternity rest solely on you and your decisions. You are not a tree; if you don’t like where your life is headed, make better choices, and change your destiny. If you are not rightly related to God, then get on your knees, honestly pray for God to be the director of your life, and then start putting your will in line with His.
The decision to change the people, places, and things in your life is not easy to make but will make a big difference in how your life turns out. Brining your hurts, habits, and hang-ups out of their hiding places and surrendering them over to God will determine how much freedom you will enjoy and the depth and weight of your relationship with God. Your destiny is here for the changing, choose wisely, and forever rely on God.
My Creator, I know that You don’t predestine anyone to live apart from You; it’s only by choice. You have given me free will to decide how I will live my life. God, please help me make the right decisions for my life. I am tired of managing my own life, and I don’t wish to miss out on the best life possible on earth or spend eternity without You. Please accept me as I am and for all the poor decisions I have made in life. Remove from my character everything standing in the way of me embracing Your will for my life. I desire nothing more than to spend the rest of my life immersed in Your kingdom on earth and in heaven. In Your Spirit and Name, I pray these things. May Your will not mine always materialize, now and forever. Amen.
Preordained Destiny
“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Our decisions define us, not our circumstances. When we face challenges, our choices will determine the degree of our success or failure. Fate chooses our beginning, but our decisions determine our destiny. When we decide to change is when our destiny changes.
What changes do you need to make for your destiny to change?
Some religious people believe that God has already predestined all who will spend eternity in heaven and those who will not. I don’t subscribe to such a view of God or interpret scriptures focused on predestination in that manner. Some subscribe to universalism, meaning they believe that everyone will be with God for eternity, despite their choices on earth. As much as I hope universalism is true, I can’t find anywhere in scripture to support such a view.
My understanding of predestination is that God created a design for living that leads to God, God’s Kingdom, and eternity. Those who follow that path are predestined to live forever with God on earth and in heaven. God created every human being with free will, so we decide how we will live our life. God doesn’t know who will or who won’t choose His design for living (Open Theism), but those who choose to select His design are predestined to live forever with God.
Because of free will and extreme self-centeredness, most will choose to live for themselves and miss out on the best life possible. It’s only when we choose to surrender our will and life over to God and put our will and life in line with His that we will ever be destined to live the life God created every person to live.
Jesus spoke of this often and, through scripture, warns everyone that our choices matter and will determine our destiny:
13 “Go in through the narrow gate. The gate that leads to destruction is broad and the road wide, so many people enter through it. 14 But the gate that leads to life is narrow and the road difficult, so few people find it. (Matthew 7:13-14 – CEB)
Neither God nor anyone else will determine your destination. How and where you end up in this life and for eternity rest solely on you and your decisions. You are not a tree; if you don’t like where your life is headed, make better choices, and change your destiny. If you are not rightly related to God, then get on your knees, honestly pray for God to be the director of your life, and then start putting your will in line with His.
The decision to change the people, places, and things in your life is not easy to make but will make a big difference in how your life turns out. Brining your hurts, habits, and hang-ups out of their hiding places and surrendering them over to God will determine how much freedom you will enjoy and the depth and weight of your relationship with God. Your destiny is here for the changing, choose wisely, and forever rely on God.
My Creator, I know that You don’t predestine anyone to live apart from You; it’s only by choice. You have given me free will to decide how I will live my life. God, please help me make the right decisions for my life. I am tired of managing my own life, and I don’t wish to miss out on the best life possible on earth or spend eternity without You. Please accept me as I am and for all the poor decisions I have made in life. Remove from my character everything standing in the way of me embracing Your will for my life. I desire nothing more than to spend the rest of my life immersed in Your kingdom on earth and in heaven. In Your Spirit and Name, I pray these things. May Your will not mine always materialize, now and forever. Amen.
Photo by Kristopher Roller on Unsplash