Control Of Your Destiny

We live in a time when our standard of living is going up. We enjoy mechanical conveniences and physical luxuries as never known before. No other generation that has ever lived on the face of the earth has had as many cares of life as our generation. Never has any generation faced the complex problems we face today. Despite all our efforts and technological advances, misery is being piled on top of misery. Famine and disease spread across many lands. Mankind, as a whole and individually, stands in dire need. 

The Word of God teaches that we can change things. The devil may have destined us for pain and sorrow, but we can change our destiny through faith in God. 

We hold the key to our destiny and future. God already has done everything he is going to do for mankind. He has made a way of escape. Through the blood of Jesus Christ, we can have faith to change our destiny while on this earth. 

We have two choices: We can either fold our hands and be content, or we can look for the souls who are lost, dying, and going into sin’s hell. Look for those who are bound by the chains of sickness and disease and need help, go out and bring them in. 

Paul says in Philippians 3:13-14,” Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 

One thing to see is Paul said, “I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet” Then goes on and says, “but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind.” Not only did Paul have to forget success, but he also had to forget failure. 

As he was writing those words, I’m sure Paul’s mind went back to the day he stood outside Jerusalem and held the coats of the men who where stoning Stephen and encouraged them.

Some say, “I have trouble forgetting my past.” Paul had to choose to forget his past because of what his part was in the stoning of one of God’s Chosen.

Paul had to forget his success on Mars Hill in Athens with the Greek philosophers. Paul preached to them the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. This event was a success in Paul’s life. Here was a man from Tarsus, an outpost of the Roman Empire, and he once was named Saul. Now he is standing on Mars Hill with the great philosophers in Greece – and he matches them word for word and argument for argument through the power of God. 

That was a great success in teaching the philosophers. But Paul had to forget it. He also had to forget that he started one of the largest churches in history – The Church at Ephesus. If you’ll study, you’ll find that the church had an estimate between 20,000 to 40,000 members.

Paul said in his scripture he had to forget the past, good and bad. Paul forgot success. He forgot failure. He forgot everything that had happened to him in the past because it was history.  Past history could not do anything for him now even if he wanted it to. He could not change the past.