Fulfilling Your Destiny

1. Fulfilling Your Destiny God Wants to Use You!

2. Psalms 139:14-19 (The Message) I thank you, High God — you're breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration — what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day.

3. Your thoughts — how rare, how beautiful! God, I'll never comprehend them! I couldn't even begin to count them — any more than I could count the sand of the sea. Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you! And please, God, do away with wickedness for good! And you murderers — out of here! —

4. God Chose You Jeremiah 1:4-10 Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations." Then I said, "Alas, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, Because I am a youth." But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am a youth,‘ Because everywhere I send you, you shall go, And all that I command you, you shall speak.

5. "Do not be afraid of them, For I am with you to deliver you," declares the Lord. Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. "See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, To pluck up and to break down, To destroy and to overthrow, To build and to plant."

6. "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. John 15:16 NASU

7. Diana Ross Sang: “Do you know where you are going to? Do you like the things that life is showing you? Where are you going? Do you know?”

8. Michael Fisher (Family rock skipping champion) “The decisions you make today, will determine the course of your future life and the words you will speak on your deathbed”

9. Dr. John Oswald Sanders (17 Oct 1902--24 Oct 1992) was a general director of Overseas Missionary Fellowship in the 50's and 60's while it was still China Inland Mission and authored more than forty books on the Christian life. He became an elder statesman and world-wide conference speaker from his retirement at 65 until his death at 90. “Many of us think after a number of years that we are finally entering the purpose of God for our life, when actually it is the culmination of a preparatory process that began before birth.”

10. Erma Griswold

11. Which Saul do U want to be? King Saul Tall, handsome, wealthy, father was a war-hero, family was very influential Saul of Tarsus Short, ugly, from a mixed family, devoted his life to beating, jailing and killing Christians

12. King Saul Acts Stupid 1 Samuel 15:1-26 TLB One day Samuel said to Saul, "I crowned you king of Israel because God told me to. Now be sure that you obey him. Here is his commandment to you: 'I have decided to settle accounts with the nation of Amalek for refusing to allow my people to cross their territory when Israel came from Egypt. Now go and completely destroy the entire Amalek nation-men, women, babies, little children, oxen, sheep, camels, and donkeys.'"

13. So Saul mobilized his army at Telaim. There were two hundred thousand troops in addition to ten thousand men from Judah. The Amalekites were camped in the valley below them. Saul sent a message to the Kenites, telling them to get out from among the Amalekites or else die with them. "For you were kind to the people of Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt," he explained. So the Kenites packed up and left.

14. Then Saul butchered the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to Shur, east of Egypt. He captured Agag, the king of the Amalekites, but killed everyone else. However, Saul and his men kept the best of the sheep and oxen and the fattest of the lambs-everything, in fact, that appealed to them. They destroyed only what was worthless or of poor quality.

15. Then the Lord said to Samuel, "I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has again refused to obey me." Samuel was so deeply moved when he heard what God was saying, that he cried to the Lord all night. Early the next morning he went out to find Saul. Someone said that he had gone to Mount Carmel to erect a monument to himself and had then gone on to Gilgal. When Samuel finally found him, Saul greeted him cheerfully. "Hello there," he said. "Well, I have carried out the Lord's command!"

16. "Then what was all the bleating of sheep and lowing of oxen I heard?" Samuel demanded. "It's true that the army spared the best of the sheep and oxen," Saul admitted, "but they are going to sacrifice them to the Lord your God; and we have destroyed everything else." Then Samuel said to Saul, "Stop! Listen to what the Lord told me last night!" "What was it?" Saul asked.

17. And Samuel told him, "When you didn't think much of yourself, God made you king of Israel. And he sent you on an errand and told you, 'Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, until they are all dead.' Then why didn't you obey the Lord? Why did you rush for the loot and do exactly what God said not to?"

18. "But I have obeyed the Lord," Saul insisted. "I did what he told me to; and I brought King Agag but killed everyone else. And it was only when my troops demanded it that I let them keep the best of the sheep and oxen and loot to sacrifice to the Lord."

19. Samuel replied, "Has the Lord as much pleasure in your burnt offerings and sacrifices as in your obedience? Obedience is far better than sacrifice. He is much more interested in your listening to him than in your offering the fat of rams to him. For rebellion is as bad as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as bad as worshiping idols. And now because you have rejected the word of Jehovah, he has rejected you from being king."

20. "I have sinned," Saul finally admitted. "Yes, I have disobeyed your instructions and the command of the Lord, for I was afraid of the people and did what they demanded. Oh, please pardon my sin now and go with me to worship the Lord." But Samuel replied, "It's no use! Since you have rejected the commandment of the Lord, he has rejected you from being the king of Israel."

21. Saul commits suicide The battle went heavily against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was badly wounded by the archers. Then Saul said to his armor bearer, "Draw your sword and pierce me through with it, otherwise these uncircumcised will come and pierce me through and make sport of me." But his armor bearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. So Saul took his sword and fell on it. When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died with him. Thus Saul died with his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men on that day together. 1 Sam 31:3-6 NASU

22. Stephen Preaches Acts 6:8-15 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. But some men … rose up and argued with Stephen. But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. Then they secretly induced men to say, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God."

23. 12 And they stirred up the people, the elders and the scribes, and they came up to him and dragged him away and brought him before the Council. They put forward false witnesses who said, "This man incessantly speaks against this holy place and the Law; for we have heard him say that this Nazarene, Jesus, will destroy this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us." And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the Council saw his face like the face of an angel.

24. Saul Ravages the Church Acts 7:54-8:3 NASU 54 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse.

25. 58 When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" Having said this, he fell asleep.

26. Saul Persecutes the Church 8:1 Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him. But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.

27. Saul becomes Paul! I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. 2 Tim 4:7-8 NASU

28. Look at God’s Superstars Abraham- Let Pharaoh have his wife He was called a friend of God and Father of the faith Moses- Was a murderer But he spoke to God face to face Paul- Was a murderer But he wrote half of the New Testament

29. David Committed adultery and murder but… "After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ' I HAVE FOUND DAVID the son of Jesse, A MAN AFTER MY HEART, who will do all My will.‘ "For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay; Acts 13:22,36 NASU

30. David’s Army So David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam; and when his brothers and all his father's household heard of it, they went down there to him. Everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him; and he became captain over them. Now there were about four hundred men with him. 1 Samuel 22:1-2 NASU

31. God Chooses the Foolish Notice among yourselves, dear brothers, that few of you who follow Christ have big names or power or wealth. Instead, God has deliberately chosen to use ideas the world considers foolish and of little worth in order to shame those people considered by the world as wise and great. He has chosen a plan despised by the world, counted as nothing at all, and used it to bring down to nothing those the world considers great, so that no one anywhere can ever brag in the presence of God. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 TLB

32. The Salvation Army Norwich Citadel Band was established in 1882 following a visit by General William Booth, founder of The Salvation Army, who came to preach at the newly opened corps (church) based in a former roller skating rink in the heart of the old medieval city of Norwich. The General implored its citizens to "Get a drum and rouse Norwich from one end to the other." This directive was immediately acted upon, instruments were purchased and a band was formed. By December 1882 the band was heard playing and marching the streets proclaiming the message of God's love for all.

33. William Booth’s Funeral Procession1912

34. The Jesus People

35. Which one are You? Dirty Crystal Goblet Clean Peanut Butter Jar

36. God is Looking for Anyone "I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one. Ezekiel 22:30 NASU

37. God is Looking 4 U For the eyes of the Lord search back and forth across the whole earth, looking for people whose hearts are perfect toward him, so that he can show his great power in helping them. 2 Chronicles 16:9 TLB

38. British Teacher Arthur Wallis “If you would do the best with your life, find out what God is doing in your generation and fling yourself into it!”

39. John Wesley “Give me 100 hundred men who love only God and hate only sin with all their heart, and we will shake the gates of hell and bring in the kingdom of God in one generation”

40. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 AMP Do you not know that the unrighteous and the wrongdoers will not inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived (misled): neither the impure and immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor those who participate in homosexuality, Nor cheats (swindlers and thieves), nor greedy graspers, nor drunkards, nor foulmouthed revilers and slanderers, nor extortioners and robbers will inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God.

41. And such some of you were [once]. But you were washed clean (purified by a complete atonement for sin and made free from the guilt of sin), and you were consecrated (set apart, hallowed), and you were justified [pronounced righteous, by trusting] in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the [Holy] Spirit of our God.

42. Transformation! Steps to fulfilling your destiny