Discover Your Destiny

(Here are a few excerpts from the book "Discover Your Destiny - Making Right Choices in a World Full of Wrong" by Cary Schmidt from Striving Together Publications - www.strivingtogether.com. I quickly skimmed the entire book early this morning and found it to be a good resource for teens and young adults to make right decisions in their life. It also made me look back upon my years and wish I had known some things that I do know now much earlier in my life!!!)

I hope to burn into your heart a passion to settle for nothing less than God's best! Playing life by God's rules - simply put, there is no other life. There are substitutes. There are second-handed copies. But you have only one destiny designed by God and only one life with which to discover it. You can't rewind. You can't start over. You'll never pass "go." One chance is all you get. Who ever heard of a game where you only get one turn? Welcome to real life. These are God's rules. You go around one time, then you stand before Him to give an account. You cannot see the future; you cannot cheat. You cannot be really sure of anything but Him. You and only you will give account for you. You cannot blame anyone or anything else for mistakes or failures. You will be given full and unrestricted access to God, but only by faith. You cannot see Him or audibly hear Him. You will be given His Word and His promises. You will be subject to His laws, yet given the free will to rebel against a select number of them. In the end you will face eternity. You will answer only to God, and you will live somewhere forever. There are no time-outs, and you never know for sure when the game will end. As you are learning the game, it has already started, and it could end at any moment. You'll know the game is over when you are flat on your face before Jesus Christ. Your turn will be first, you are the only player in your "race," and it's always your turn. On your mark; get set; go!!!

Your destiny began in eternity. 2 Tim. 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

The fact of the matter is you have a destiny - a divine mission from God that He intends for you to fulfill. Now let me help you understand a few things about it.

1. Your destiny is unique to you.
2. Your destiny is awesome.
3. You will only be happy as you fulfill your destiny.
4. Your destiny will give you a true sense of divine security.
5. Your destiny represents true success.
6. Your destiny can be missed.
7. Your destiny is now.
8. Your destiny arrives from God by faith on a "need to know basis."
9. Finally, your destiny is a deliberate choice.

Your destiny in God's will must be pursued and must be selected carefully among all the options that the Devil will try to distract you with. You will be required to enter into the process very prayerfully and wisely. It will take serious consideration, study, prayer, and counsel. It will take complete and unconditional surrender. Heb. 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Jer. 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.