"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9) When you know who you are, you will begin to fulfill your destiny. Every Believer in Christ has a destiny. When God chooses us to be a "people for His own possession," His intention for us is to activate us into a lifetime of walking in His glory to fulfill His purposes on Earth.
The unfolding of my own destiny began over 40 years ago when God showed me that I would impact the nations, specifically China and India, with the Gospel. I have been called, as an apostle, to see the Church built up in places that have been previously unreached. But it has been a process and journey of discovery along the way.
Of course, every person has a unique calling—some may be called to influence society with Kingdom-minded business, while others may be called to spread the Gospel through missions. We are each uniquely and creatively made with specific skills, passions, and talents. However, there are principles of destiny and purpose that apply to all Believers in Christ. Here are three:
1. You Are Called Priests and Kings
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:4-6) (Photo via Piqsels)
Originally, humanity was created in God's image to glorify Him by having a derived glory that comes from obedience to God, communion with God and being filled with God's Spirit. Unfortunately, humanity chose a different path and we lost our original purpose and destiny.
But God never deviated from His original intent. He created humanity for glory, and He will not allow us to permanently settle for less.
In Jesus, we have a new identity; we are reborn into new life, forgiven of all of our sins and given the opportunity to live in glory and power given to us by God to give glory to Him. Through Christ we can walk out in authority, knowing we can do all things through Him (Philippians 4:13). We are called royalty, but unfortunately, many of us live out of a lesser identity, riddled with insecurity and inadequacy.
Your identity determines your destiny. We are called God's children, joint heirs with Jesus, ambassadors of Christ, kings and priests and wholly righteous. It's essential that you know what Jesus has paid for you to be, so that you can fulfill the purpose that God has for you—to impact and influence nations and societies with the light of Christ.
2. Your Destiny Aligns with the Great Commission
"...All authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)
Before Jesus ascended back into Heaven, He gave His disciples the Great Commission, empowering them to change the world through the preaching of the Gospel. The Great Commission is a command that lasts for all Believers throughout every age, until Jesus comes back.
We are all ultimately called to impact nations, change lives and preach the Gospel of Jesus, regardless of where we are born, how we are gifted and what our passions are.
God may not take you to a foreign nation, but He may be leading you to the mountain of education, for example, as a teacher who leads his or her students with the compassion and the light of Christ. Or maybe you are created to transform Hollywood with films or television shows that glorify Christ through the principles of the Kingdom. Both of these examples align with the Great Commission by discipling culture and society intentionally through work that glorifies God.
3. Destiny vs. Divine Assignment
Destiny is your ultimate calling, but a divine assignment is a specific task or role God has for you to fulfill during a season of life. These assignments may change, depending on your circumstances and where God leads you, but your overall purpose will stand.
My destiny is to impact the nations, but I have had several divine assignments along the way that may not seem directly relevant to that calling. When I was a student at the University of Maryland, I started the first charismatic Bible study there, the roots of which last to this day. In 2003, I also took a leadership role in TheCall with Lou Engle for a period of years, overseeing massive prayer rallies in the U.S. These divine assignments have ultimately contributed much to where I am now, by equipping me with skill sets, character and experience.
If you are feeling discouraged because you feel that you may not be currently fulfilling your destiny in the way you imagined it, I want to encourage you that God has a divine assignment for you, to be the salt and light no matter where you are. When you are faithful in the little, you will be faithful in much (Luke 16:10). Then you can be entrusted with greater responsibility and purpose. God will guide you into your destiny when you are obedient to what He has placed in front of you.
You Were Destined for Glory
We are all called to rule and reign with God on Earth, to take dominion over darkness. Our heavenly Father has done everything in His power to restore His original intention and His glory to us. As we receive identity from Him, align ourselves with the Great Commission and are faithful and obedient to what He placed in front of us, we will discover our destiny in Him: the purpose God has for us to see Christ glorified on Earth.
The unfolding of my own destiny began over 40 years ago when God showed me that I would impact the nations, specifically China and India, with the Gospel. I have been called, as an apostle, to see the Church built up in places that have been previously unreached. But it has been a process and journey of discovery along the way.
Of course, every person has a unique calling—some may be called to influence society with Kingdom-minded business, while others may be called to spread the Gospel through missions. We are each uniquely and creatively made with specific skills, passions, and talents. However, there are principles of destiny and purpose that apply to all Believers in Christ. Here are three:
1. You Are Called Priests and Kings
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:4-6) (Photo via Piqsels)
Originally, humanity was created in God's image to glorify Him by having a derived glory that comes from obedience to God, communion with God and being filled with God's Spirit. Unfortunately, humanity chose a different path and we lost our original purpose and destiny.
But God never deviated from His original intent. He created humanity for glory, and He will not allow us to permanently settle for less.
In Jesus, we have a new identity; we are reborn into new life, forgiven of all of our sins and given the opportunity to live in glory and power given to us by God to give glory to Him. Through Christ we can walk out in authority, knowing we can do all things through Him (Philippians 4:13). We are called royalty, but unfortunately, many of us live out of a lesser identity, riddled with insecurity and inadequacy.
Your identity determines your destiny. We are called God's children, joint heirs with Jesus, ambassadors of Christ, kings and priests and wholly righteous. It's essential that you know what Jesus has paid for you to be, so that you can fulfill the purpose that God has for you—to impact and influence nations and societies with the light of Christ.
2. Your Destiny Aligns with the Great Commission
"...All authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)
Before Jesus ascended back into Heaven, He gave His disciples the Great Commission, empowering them to change the world through the preaching of the Gospel. The Great Commission is a command that lasts for all Believers throughout every age, until Jesus comes back.
We are all ultimately called to impact nations, change lives and preach the Gospel of Jesus, regardless of where we are born, how we are gifted and what our passions are.
God may not take you to a foreign nation, but He may be leading you to the mountain of education, for example, as a teacher who leads his or her students with the compassion and the light of Christ. Or maybe you are created to transform Hollywood with films or television shows that glorify Christ through the principles of the Kingdom. Both of these examples align with the Great Commission by discipling culture and society intentionally through work that glorifies God.
3. Destiny vs. Divine Assignment
Destiny is your ultimate calling, but a divine assignment is a specific task or role God has for you to fulfill during a season of life. These assignments may change, depending on your circumstances and where God leads you, but your overall purpose will stand.
My destiny is to impact the nations, but I have had several divine assignments along the way that may not seem directly relevant to that calling. When I was a student at the University of Maryland, I started the first charismatic Bible study there, the roots of which last to this day. In 2003, I also took a leadership role in TheCall with Lou Engle for a period of years, overseeing massive prayer rallies in the U.S. These divine assignments have ultimately contributed much to where I am now, by equipping me with skill sets, character and experience.
If you are feeling discouraged because you feel that you may not be currently fulfilling your destiny in the way you imagined it, I want to encourage you that God has a divine assignment for you, to be the salt and light no matter where you are. When you are faithful in the little, you will be faithful in much (Luke 16:10). Then you can be entrusted with greater responsibility and purpose. God will guide you into your destiny when you are obedient to what He has placed in front of you.
You Were Destined for Glory
We are all called to rule and reign with God on Earth, to take dominion over darkness. Our heavenly Father has done everything in His power to restore His original intention and His glory to us. As we receive identity from Him, align ourselves with the Great Commission and are faithful and obedient to what He placed in front of us, we will discover our destiny in Him: the purpose God has for us to see Christ glorified on Earth.
RSS Feed