1 April 2007
1. Introduction:
· Ephesians 2.2 - There is a course the world follows:
Disobedience => Destruction and loss.
· Ephesians 2:10 - There is a course (destiny) God has planned for you: Obedience => Dominion in life.
· Whatever Spirit you yield your life to will determine your destiny – for eternity.
· 1st decision: Receive Jesus Christ as Saviour – Receive the Spirit of God within.
· Lifestyle: Know Him, represent Him in the earth.
· God desires to live in you, to live through you, to impact people in your circle of influence.
2. Destiny Thief:
· John 10:10 - “The thief does not come except to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come that they may have life, that they may have it more abundantly”.
· Thief = one who come in stealth, to steal something of value that belongs to you without your knowledge – you discover your loss afterwards!
· Destiny Thief = anything that takes you of the course God has planned for your life.
· You have only one life to live – how you live it determines eternal destiny.
· It is our responsibility to discover God’s purpose and plan for our life and to fulfill it passionately.
· 1 Corinthians 10:1-6 - Israel is set before us an example – people who failed to fulfill their destiny.
· What are destiny thieves? How do we recognise them?
3. Identifying Destiny Thieves:
i) Broken Focus - Remedy => Vision/Goals/Accountability:
· One of the key reasons people fail is broken focus.
· Focus is anything that consumes your time, energy, finances, attention.
· Mark 4:18-19 - “The cares of this world entering in, choke the word” – it become unfruitful.
· How do you destroy someone’s goal, dream, focus? – give him another different focus.
· Unless your live is focused your energy is diluted.
· The devil seeks to distract you from the purpose God has for your life!
· Matthew 6:22 - “The lamp of the body is the eye”.
· What you focus your eyes upon fills your life and you eventually pursue it.
· To keep your focus you must have vision and goals – steps to accomplish it.
· Without vision – “your life drifts of course to the next good opportunity”.
· Examples of people with Focus:
a) Nehemiah 6:2-3 - “I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down”.
b) Philippians 3:13-14 - This one thing I do – forgetting the things that are behind and reaching forth to the things which are before, I press towards the mark”.
c) Luke 9:51 - “He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem”.
· Anyone or anything that breaks your focus on God’s purpose and assignment is an enemy.
· Anyone who helps you keep focused on God’s instruction for your life is a friend.
· Don’t drift – establish a clear direction of your life and steps to get there.
- establish daily focus upon the Word of God.
ii) Passivity - Remedy => Personal Responsibility/Initiative:
· Ecclesiastes 5:3 - “As a dream comes when there are many cares….”
· Passive = not involved or participating actively as would be expected.
· There is no place to be passive or neutral to fulfill destiny.
· A person who is passive, neutral is luke-warm = slothful! Disinclined to work!
· Hebrews 6:12 - “Be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises”.
· Slothful – once burned bright but lost its fire, like a candle flickering.
· To fulfill destiny, have to overcome passivity – become energized, passionate.
· A slothful person has a lack of passion; desire to please God – “Cruise mode!”
· Proverbs 26:13 - The slothful man says “there is lion in the street”!
=> excuses; avoids responsibility,; blame others; pride”.
· Don’t be passive – cruise control! Take responsibility and take initiative, Apply it Yourself.
· Revelation 3:18 - “I council you to buy from me…”
· Must take action to break out of passivity: Fasting! Prayer! Repentance!
iii) Self-preservation - Remedy => Commitment/ Sacrifice:
· Definition = to preserve yourself from possible harm or loss or injury.
= to spare self from hardship, conflict or difficulty, eg. Demas.
· Matthew 16:22-27 - “If any man desires to come after me let him deny himself, take up the cross”.
· The nature of man is Self Preservation – deeply engraved! Selfishness!
· The nature of God is Love – Sacrifice – the nature of God compels him to be this.
· God’s purpose is to reveal what He is like through us => Self-Sacrifice/Love.
· Peter’s response: “Pity yourself” = a demonic mindset of self preservation.
· Jesus viewed this mindset as an enemy, a stumbling block, destiny thief.
· Life serving God is one of Trust/Faith.
Faith that if I let go, take a risk, suffer loss, God is able to restore!
· Following Christ = fulfilling destiny requires deny self, requires the Cross.
· Our tenancy is always “What do I get out of this?”, “Me first”.
· E.g. Luke 9:59 - Suffer “me first” - mentality “me first” is a destiny killer.
· To fulfill my destiny:
i) Must trust God - Hebrews 11:6
ii) Must settle the issue of ownership - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
· Notice the assurances Jesus gave: Lose life ... will find it – reward!
iv) Dangerous people:
· Proverbs 13:20 - “he that walks with wise men will be wise”.
· Dangerous = to cause risk, injury, ; loss, harm, be unsafe.
· People we share our lives with shape attitudes, values, and actions.
· Dangerous people:
i) Feed your offences - Absalom
ii) Feed your weakness - Delilah
iii) Feed your fears, insecurities - 10 Spies
iv) Feed your unbelief - 10 Spies
v) Feed you compromise
· Change frightens people who live a mediocre life in the flesh. Your life challenges them!
· True friends encourages us in faith, pray for us, don’t knock our dreams.
· 1 Samuel 23:16 - “Jonathan….cane to him in the woods and strengthen his hand in God”.
· Hebrews 6:12 - “…be followers (initiators) of the who through faith and patience inherit the promises”.