Finding Your Destiny
For best “results” in your spiritual growth, this study should be done along with two other CBI courses (“Attitude” and “Serving the Poor”)
Many (perhaps most) Christians dream of doing something for God but don't know where to start. It's all very well coming up with an idea for ministry, but most times you need to ask yourself,“Do I have enough commitment to make this work? Do I have enough passion for this to continue when the going gets tough? Is this really what God wants for me?”
I believe that knowing who you are - and knowing your overall purpose in Christ in life - can help beforeyou take one step towards your goals. It's only by knowing God’s plan for yourself that will set you free.
So how can you discover God’s purpose for your life?
Of course our study will be based solely on the Word of God, but it might be fun and revealing to answer the following questions just to get us thinking beyond the present and the immediate future.
- Imagine that you are told that you have five years to live:
List at least five things that come to mind that you want to get done in those years:
a.______
b.______
c.______
d.______
e.______
What else comes to mind about these last years of your life?______
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Imagine that you are told that you told that you have one year to live. What five things would you want to accomplish in this last year.
a.______
b.______
c.______
d.______
e.______
What else comes to mind about this last year of your life?______
______
Are the five one year “things” the same as the 5 year “things.”______Which are different?______
Why the difference (if any)?______
______
Imagine that you have been told that you have six weeks to live. What five things would you like to accomplish in these six weeks?
a.______
b.______
c.______
d.______
e.______
What are the differences in the six month list and the one year and five year lists? Why the differences (if any)______
2. Imagine you're on a desert island.
All of your basic needs are taken care of. There's limitless food, utilities, gas for your free car and there's no need for money. Oh, and there's also a few thousand other nice and law abiding Christian people on the island with you - so you're never going to feel lonely or depressed ever again.
Now, what are you going to do?
It would be tempting to do nothing but sit in the sun and drink lemonade for a while, but what about after that? What would you do to fill your time? More especially, what could you do that might benefit your community?
Write down your answer, whatever it might be.
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2. Imagine, after you've died, you're looking at your tombstone
What would you like to see written on it? It could be just one word like "Statesman" on something longer like "She made a difference". Whatever. Write down your answer.
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3. Imagine you're in Heaven and reading through a "Book of Life".
Next to everyone's name there is a 50 word description of their life. What would you like yours to say? Write down your answer.
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4. Imagine Hollywood has made a movie out of your life
- and they need one of those taglines to advertise it. What would it say?
It should be short and snappy like "Justice has a new hero" or "She rocks", something that sounds like a slogan.
Write down your answer.
______
5. This is a good one. Imagine you have a one minute slot on a microphone that everyone in the world will hear. What would you say?
Basically for this one you need to work out what you would want to be remembered for - or what kind of important message you would like the whole world to hear. Write down your answer.
______
6. Imagine you're a superhero. What powers do you have?
You can make a list of 5 or 10. It’s up to you. Then pick one,
This really teaches you about what kind of person you are - and what's important to you. Do you want to be able to fly? If so, why? Do you want to be able to become invisible? Why? Of course, a spiritual gift may well be your answer.
Write down your answer.
______
7.And finally, based on all of the answers to the questions above, make a statement about your purpose.
Start with "My purpose is..." Try to keep it short, less than 12 words is ideal.
Write it down. Carry it with you. Look at it often. Change and update it if necessary. You'll find that just having a meaningful purpose statement can change virtually every area of your life. It helps you prioritize what's important to you. It helps you make decisions about what to do in your life - how you spend your time.
Your purpose statement gives you a “rudder” by which to steer your life.(You may want to finish thiscourse and then come back and answer this question.)
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……………………………………………………………………………………..
Hopefully you have now begun to think about your future, your destiny, the purpose God has for you – however you want to title it. Now let’s see what the Word of God has to say. Our study will be divided into six parts.
- Does God have a plan for my life?
I pray that your conclusion or answer to that question will be a resounding “YES.” Let’s see what the Word says.
Fourteen verses about God’s Concern for your Destiny
1. Look up Jeremiah 29:11 (any version) and copy it______
What is your answer to the question in the title (I) of this section? Why?
How would you describe God’s plan for you in Jeremiah 29:11?
______
2. Psalm 48:14
14For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.
(What does this verse say to you about God having an interest in your life?)
______
3. Proverbs 3:5-6
5Trust in theLordwith all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
(What do these verses say to you about God having an interest in your life?)
______
4. Isaiah 48:17
17Thus saith theLord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am theLordthy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
(What does this verse say to you about God having an interest in your life?)
______
5. Psalm 37:23
23The steps of a good man are ordered by theLord: and he delighteth in his way.
(What does this verse say to you about God having an interest in your life?)
______
6. Psalm 32:8
8I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
(What does this verse say to you about God having an interest in your life?)
______
7. Isaiah 30:21
21And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
(What does this verse say to you about God having an interest in your life?)
______
8. Isaiah 58:11
11And theLordshall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
(What does this verse say to you about God having an interest in your life?)
______
9. Proverbs 2:6-8
6For theLordgiveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
7He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.
8He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.
(What do these verses say to you about God having an interest in your life?)
______
10. Psalm 25:12
12What man is he that feareth theLord? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
(What does this verse say to you about God having an interest in your life?)
______
11.Psalm 139:14-16
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
14and I praise you
because of
the wonderful way
you created me.
Everything you do is marvelous!
Of this I have no doubt.
15Nothing about me
is hidden from you!
I was secretly woven together
deep in the earth below,
16but with your own eyes
you saw
my body being formed.
Even before I was born,
you had written in your book
everything I would do.
After reading this passage, please comment on whether or not God is interested in our lives.
______
12.Isaiah 46:10
New Living Translation (NLT)
10Only I can tell you the future
before it even happens.
Everything I plan will come to pass,
for I do whatever I wish.
After reading this passage, please comment upon God’s interest and influence in our lives.
______
13. Proverbs 16:33
Amplified Bible (AMP)
33The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is wholly of the Lord [even the events that seem accidental are really ordered by Him].
After reading this passage, please comment upon God’s influence in our lives.
______
14. Ephesians 1:11
The Message (MSG)
11-12It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.
After reading this passage, comment below on what influence God has in our lives.
______
Do you have children? Have you been “interested” in the conception, birth, upbringing, and future of those children. Is there any correlation between how you feel about your children and how God feels about His Children?______
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What do you feel is the real truth about God having a plan for your life, your ability to “get with His plan,” and the idea that you might miss or not choose His plan?______
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Most of us believe the Bible when it tells us that God loves us and has a plan for our lives. The problem is that we have no idea what destiny really is, no idea exactly what God’s will for us is, how we can find it, and the problem of “cooperating” with God.
In the rest of this study, we will try to find answers to these problems.
- What exactly is “destiny?
To the Christian, of course, destiny should all be wrapped up somehow with God’s plans, but this brings up some problems for us:
- Look up the definition of “Destiny” and write all definitions below:
______
- Look up the definition of “Fatalism” and write the definitions below:
______
As a Christian do you believe in Fatalism? Why or Why Not:
______
Look up Isaiah 48:3 and write it here:______
______
What does Isaiah 48:3 tell us about who is in control of what happens – explain:______
______
Proverbs 21:30
30There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against theLord.
What does this verse say about “going against” God’s will?______
______
Is it even possible to go against God’s will?
Read Genesis 11:1-9 (the Tower of Babel) and Jonah 1:17 and answer the above question with a “Yes” or a “No” and an explanation:______
______
Some people believe that God has two wills – a “perfect will” and a “permissive will.” Do you believe this? Explain your answer.______
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Isaiah 55:11
The Message (MSG)
8-11“I don’t think the way you think.
The way you work isn’t the way I work.”
God’s Decree.
“For as the sky soars high above earth,
so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
and the way I think is beyond the way you think.
Just as rain and snow descend from the skies
and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth,
Doing their work of making things grow and blossom,
producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,
So will the words that come out of my mouth
not come back empty-handed.
They’ll do the work I sent them to do,
they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.
What does this passage say about who is in control of destiny?______
______
Isaiah 46:10
New Living Translation (NLT)
10Only I can tell you the future
before it even happens.
Everything I plan will come to pass,
for I do whatever I wish.
What does this passage say about God’s role in your destiny?______
______
______
Eventually we come to the conclusion that God has authority over everything from the workings of the universe to the events of our daily lives, that He has specific plans for the whole world (mankind) and our personal lives, that it is possible to “go against” God’s plan for us, and that going against God’s plans works out badly for us.
Please agree/disagree with all/part of the above statement:______
In the end of all things, God’s plan will certainly succeed, but we can get with the plan or live beneath the level of life that could have been.
- What is God’s will for my life?
When attempting to learn truth, it is always best to go to the one who is the way, the truth, and the life. Of course we are talking about Jesus. What did He say when asked what was most important in life?
"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul,
and with all thy mind. This is the first and great
commandment." (Matthew 22:37-38 KJV)
"And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang
all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:39-40 KJV)
- What is the most important commandment_
______
2. What do you think the Lord means when He says that the second is “like unto” it (the first?
______
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3.The last verse is an amazing revelation. What do you think it means when it says that the law and prophets hang on these two commandments.
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4.Romans 13:8
8Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
Please explain what you believe to be the essence of this verse:______
______
Do you think this passage means that it is ok to live as you wish as long as you help others? Why or why not? Explain:______
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What wisdom do you find in this quote – perhaps about priorities?
______
5. Galatians 5:14
14For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Though the thought may be rather repetitious (same as the previous one), what does this verse say?______
______
Please comment on this quote:______
______
6.Acts 2:44-45
44And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
45And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
These verses from Acts 2 speak of the actions of the infant church in the days after Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost. What do they say about the early church’s beliefs about loving one another?
______
Please comment on this quote:______
______
7. Matthew 25:31-40
31When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
a. What is the situation or setting of this passage?
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b.Who is gathered together?______
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c.What reward is given to the “sheep?”______
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d. Why did they receive the reward? Because when “Christ was ______, they gave Him ______; when He was ______,
they gave Him______; when He was a stranger, they______; when He was naked, they ______:
when He was sick or in prison, they ______.
e. What was it that the “sheep” couldn’t understand and what question did they ask Jesus?
______
f. How did Jesus answer their question?______
Please comment on the above quote:______
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“The first question which the priest and the Levite askedwas: "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But... the good Samaritan reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?" ~Martin Luther King,Jr.