Destiny Hurdles

5 June 2011

1. Introduction

• Heb.12:1 “..Let us run with patience the race that is set before us looking to Jesus …”

- Our life is pictured as a marathon race with a prize to be won at the end.

- Every person born into the world has a unique God given destiny and a race

   to fulfil it.

- Hurdle = a barrier in a race that each contestant must leap over in order to

   complete the race.

- Today we want to identify some of the “Destiny Hurdles” to recognise and

   leap over.

2. Your Desires and Destiny are deeply connected

(a) God has created a unique destiny for each of us

• Eph. 2:10 “You are His workmanship – created in Christ unto good works which God prepared beforehand that you should walk in them”.
• We are uniquely designed by God to represent Him and advance His Kingdom.
• God planned out a unique work for each of us before we were born.
• “Walk” = we have a responsibility to co-operate, co-labourers with God.
• Our future is open – no all predetermined – we have the power of choice.

(b) God wants to co-labour with us not control us

E.g.Gen2:19 Adam

• Adam was invited by God to create and place names on all the animals.
• Naming = given responsibility to have dominion over.
• “See” = to gaze on with enjoyment, to discover, to have an enjoyable experience.

E.g. Mk.16:20 apostles – “God working with them”

• The apostles took initiative – Faith always takes initiative – never passive.
• Balance of taking initiative and being yielded to the Holy Spirit e.g. paul Acts 16:6.

(c) Your Desires help position you to fulfil your Destiny

• Act.7:23 “…Now when he was 40 years old – it came into his heart to visit his brethren…”
• A desire arose in Moses heart .. that desire was connected to his destiny.
• Your desires, passions, gifts, are all part of who you are and what you are called to do.
• Ps 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart”
• Delight = 6026 OT = to be soft, liable, easily shaped.
• Without a connection with God our desires and dreams are self oriented.
• Connected to God our desires have a totally new perspective. Phil.2:13

(d) God raises our Vision to Align with His Plan

• Is.55:3-9 “As the heaven is higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts”.

E.g.

• Moses desired to deliver man – God desired to deliver a nation.
• Hannah desired a son for herself – God desired a prophet for the nation.
• Abraham wanted a son for an heir – God wanted to raise a nation to inherit.
• Peter desired to catch fish – God desired to catch multitudes of men.
• David desired to shepherd sheep – God desired a shepherd for a nation.
• All these men had desires and dreams that were connected to destiny.

3. Leaping over Destiny Hurdles

• There is never one cause of success – or one cause of failure.
• God is able to make every aspect of our life work for good when we exercise faith.

Here are some Destiny Hurdles:

(i) Take Full Personal Responsibility for your life (Rom. 14:12)

· Must discover and own desires, passions, thoughts, actions, mistakes, feelings.

· Victim Mentality – someone else is responsible, someone else is to blame.  

(ii) Plan and set goals

· Ecc.5:3 A dream comes through much activity.

· Prov. 16:9 Amos heart plans his way but the Lord directs his steps.

· Without focus of goals we become distracted and sidetracked.

(iii) Work hard – apply yourself

· Prov. 13:4 “The soul of the lazy man desires but has nothing …”

· Prov. 21:25 “The desire of the lazy man kills him for he refuses to labour”.

(iv) Persevere – Don’t Quit!

· Heb. 10:35-36 You have need of endurance.

· Persevere when there is pressure, pain – keep focussed on dream.

(v) Resolve Personal issues from your Past

· Heb. 11:15

· Unresolved hurts, grief’s, bitterness hinder destiny.

· E.g. Michel – David’s wife was bitter – failed to enter destiny as Queen.

(vi) Develop Your Core Beliefs

· Prov.4:23 “Out of heart flow the issues of life”

· Prov.27:3 How/what you believe determines how you interact with life.

(vii) Develop Your Skills and Talents

· Invest in yourself – in training and personal development.

· Mt. 13:24 Kingdom of heaven like man who sowed.

· Everything starts small – must be nurtured.

(viii) Develop Supportive Relationships

· Prov. 27:6 “Faithful are the wounds of a friend”.

· Need relationships – connections to fulfil destiny.

(ix) Develop Devotion and Delight in the Lord

· Ps. 37:4 Delight self in the Lord

· As we take delight in Him and meditate in the Word of God – blessing and favour.

(x) Develop a Kingdom World View

· Mt. 11:12 Kingdom of heaven suffers violence – violent possess by force.

· Rapture/Revival mentality = people waiting for God to move.

· Kingdom is here now – we must advance it in our area of influence.