Just sharing a piece from today’s message, “Crossing Jordan: Developing the Courage to Step into Your Destiny”
It is a fact that in order to get to a new place you must be willing to move. The same is true when it comes to the spiritual laws of God. When he changes the season and is ready to move you to something new, you must be willing to leave one place and head for new territory. Sometimes, change is scary. Stepping out on faith seems like a brand new thing even when you’ve done it before. That place can be literal or figurative but one thing I am sure of is this: God wants you to access every promise he has ever made to you and the time is now. Kingdom work depends on you stepping into your destiny. Abundant life is waiting for you, are you ready?
God wants you to walk right into the proverbial Promised Land. He wants you to live a completely fulfilled, passionate, and inspired life. He wants your life to bring glory to his name, prove the truth of his word, as well as inspire and influence others. This is a fundamental aspect of Kingdom expansion. While pursuing the dreams that God has placed inside you makes for fanciful thoughts and exciting conversation; actually taking the steps to change your life in the pursuit of destiny is another thing all together.
Some think that it takes inner strength, personal determination, hard work, or even luck to achieve personal success. And though, I believe those can be important elements of success; there is one other essential element. This element it seems is possessed by each person that dares to live the life God designed for them. That element, my friend, is courage. Those who will live a kingdom centered life will possess and exhibit courage. When you demonstrate courage to God, it sets the miraculous in motion.
Living the life God sees for you will require courage. It is what God required Israel to demonstrate in order to gain access to the Promised Land. It is what he requires you to demonstrate as he moves you into fulfilling the plans he has for you. You must be courageous.
Courage is not you talking yourself into doing something. Courage is not a display of bravado that when tested proves itself to be weak and useless. Courage is defined as,” mental or moral strength to venture, stand, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.” It is not merely for the spiritually elite nor is it reserved just for those who go to battle. It is for you, today as you pursue Kingdom Living. You need courage in everyday life in order to stand. There are three building blocks of courage:
DIRECTION: KNOW GODS PLANS. Get clear on what God’s will is for your life. It may take some prayer, study, and assistance but you’ve got to know where you are going. Do I really know what God wants me to do in this situation? Have I studied the word concerning this? God’s will always has a direction. It always leads to the path of righteousness. Make sure you are following the words that guide you to him. Take the time to align your plans with his plans. Read and reflect upon Jeremiah 29:11-14.
DESIRE: PURSUE GOD PASSIONATELY. You have to want what God wants for you. This can’t be some philosophical conversation but an intense desire to experience the life that he says is yours. In fact, you should feel incomplete when you don’t. These feelings should drive you to pursue him more. “One thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Read and reflect upon Psalm 27: 4.
DEPENDENCE: TRUST GOD COMPLETELY. Stepping into your destiny requires God’s help, but you must make the first move. You must trust God enough to know that when you step out he will move mountains, rivers, collapse walls, close the mouths of hungry lions or whatever else he needs to do to assure you of success, but you’ve got to step out. Read and reflect upon Proverbs 3:5-7.
Courage will make you get out of the boat and walk on water. Courage will cause you to look at obstacles and not get deterred. Courage is essential and it is needed when you get ready to make a shift in your life. So, go ahead cultivate courage and begin to walk by faith and not by sight! Pursue God’s best for your life.
Blessings to you!
MC