Fulfilling Your Destiny
“So He will do to me whatever He has planned. He controls my destiny.”
Job 23:14 (NLT)
Much like Moses, many of us have bought the fake news that our past disqualifies us from God’s purpose for our lives. Moses had failed miserably in the past. He had felt a strong calling on his life. His very name meant to deliver, to draw out. This was his destiny. Yet, when he stepped in to rescue and deliver an Israelite who was being abused by an Egyptian, he found himself as a fugitive for murder! Fleeing to the desert, Moses would become a wanted man on the run and hiding for the next 40 years! He was convinced his past disqualified him. He began to believe a common lie that paralyzes so many of us:
My failures define my future.
How often has failure kept you back from believing God and stepping out boldly into the future God has for you? When God called Moses years later in the desert to return to Egypt and deliver the Israelites, Moses was afraid. “I tried that before and failed.” Fear of failing again can define our future if we believe the lie. Fear of failure results from having the wrong focus. Moses said, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” Exodus 3:11 (NLT)
Where was his focus? Our fears keep us focused on our limitations, our failures, and our weaknesses. God responded to Moses in a way that would make him shift his focus from fear to faith.
“God replied to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:14 (NLT)
Moses was asking the wrong question. It’s not a matter of who I am, but who God is that determines my future! If we want to shift our focus from fear to faith, we must get our eyes off of who we are and begin to see Who God is! Then we can be set free by the truth:
My God determines my destiny!
If you want to be free of the fears that have held you back, submit your future to God. He determines your destiny! What do you need? God says, “I AM … whatever you need! If you need strength, God says, “I AM your strength.” If you need provision, God says, “I AM your provision.” If you need peace, God says, “I AM your peace.” Focus on who God is. Your focus will either draw you to your own insecurity or to God’s strength.
Where is your focus today? Are you allowing your fears and past failure to define your future? Commit them to God and ask Him to shift your focus to who He is and what He can do. He will determine your destiny despite your past if you’ll let Him. He will turn your mess into a message of hope and purpose!