Your Destination - WordPress

Your DestinationIntentions, Direction and Everything In-betweenWhat gets us to our destination? How do both intentions and direction play into that? What is yourintended destination, and are you on the right direction to achieve that destination? What are yourintentions? How does this affect you as a Christian Leader? I will discuss this and more in this volume ofthe Christian Leader’s newsletter.1/18/2015

Courageous Men--God Inspired LeadersDestinations are something that happens routinely and very often throughout our lives,happens without much thought on our part. We arrive at destinations daily, and many of us mostlikely do not even think about how we got there. I am not talking about destinations like work,school, the park or the grocery store; I am talking about spiritual destinations.When is the last time you thought about all of the possible destinations that you couldarrive at, and how you would reach them? You might even think that is not even important;however, I would strongly encourage you to reconsider. How many times (after you have takena moment to reflect) could the destinations have been different? I know that many times in myBC life (before Christ entered into and took control of my life) I arrived at destinations that I hadnever intended on or even knew existed.Many times I need things broken down for me to understand, so I would like to provideyou a couple of short scenarios, so you can see where we are going with this.Imagine a young newlywed couple: They are just starting their life off together and theybegin to plan their life (intentions). It looks like the following (not in any particular order): Go to churchGet great paying jobsBuy/build a houseHave nice carsHave childrenTravel the worldSend the children to collegeRetire HappyNow, imagine them 15 years down the road: They did go to church, they both were able to landdecent paying (not necessarily great paying jobs), made friends and attempted to keep up with their lifestyle, ended up becoming indebted to credit cards/lenders, continuously lived outside of their income,had children, their financial troubles doubled, and on and on.I know that you have seen this type of thing, and maybe you have even experienced it before. It wasnever their intention to end up like this! So, how did it happen? Well, it happened because it was thedirection that they took, the direction without their original intentions!Let’s take a look at another scenario. Imagine a young athlete: He is in high school, and he outlineshis following intentions: Become a star football playerBe voted as the team captainBe recruited to a major universityBe an “All American”Be drafted to the NFLBe voted MVP, and then into the Hall of me-to-godinspiredleaders-org/

Courageous Men--God Inspired LeadersMuch like our newlyweds, the athlete did not arrive at his intended destination. He did join thefootball team; however, he only met the bare bones minimum requirements. He never stayed lateto work on drills, he never worked a little harder in the weight room, and he never put forth anyadditional effort. When he did not receive any invites to major universities, he wondered whatwent wrong.You see, he arrived at this unwelcomed destination, because that was simply the direction inwhich he was traveling. He had all of the best intentions; however, his direction was not alignedwith those intentions.You might be saying to yourself right now, “Duh, I know that my destinations are determined bymy direction(s)”. Really, you do? That is great if you truly know that, and you also know that if yourdirections are not guided by your intentions, then your destinations are going to be a surprise!Many of us miss this simple, yet profound point. We think that we know exactly where we aregoing. We think that we have it all figured out, and that we are going to arrive at the destinationthat we have planned. However, many of us arrive at a destination that we never imagined; and wearrive at this surprise destination, because our direction and intentions were never aligned--neveraligned with God.You have seen by the examples provided above, and I am sure by countless real life experiences,that we will always arrive at the destination of our direction; however, not always at the destinationof our intentions. As Christians we cannot mess this up! What is our intended destination? Heaven,right? Since heaven is our intended destination, we must ensure that our intentions are inalignment with God, and then let Him direct our paths.We have to admit that no matter how “good” our intentions are, they are useless if they arenot aligned with God, and then leading our directions. How many times have you heard thefollowing saying, “just follow your heart”? Probably many times, maybe even more than you cancount. This philosophy is all fine and good, if it aligns with God. I love the following Proverb thatspeaks to this.Proverbs 3:5-6 New King James Version (NKJV)5Trust in the Lord with all your heart,And lean not on your own understanding;6In all your ways acknowledge Him,And He shall direct your paths.You see right here the Proverb is explaining that our heart is not “good”. We must trust in theLord with all of our heart, and discard our own understanding! Many of the people that quote the“follow your heart” do not have the same mindset of a Christian. You see, many times that saying isutilized when someone is trying to escape from something; like a failing marriage, job, friendshipand me-to-godinspiredleaders-org/

Courageous Men--God Inspired LeadersThe devil would love nothing more than for you to throw in your selfish and self-loathing heart’sdirection towel. So, it should not be to follow your heart, but to follow Him. Many will challengeme on this very point, but if we die to self, and take on the new life; then who is the new life? It issimple, God. So we should just say, follow God.What does the scripture say about us (including me) that either followed our secular intentionsor our directions took us from His intentions? Well the prophet Isaiah does not shy away:Isaiah 48:17-18New King James Version (NKJV)17Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,The Holy One of Israel:“I am the Lord your God,Who teaches you to profit,Who leads you by the way you should go.18Oh, that you had heeded My commandments!Then your peace would have been like a river,And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.I simply love this scripture! Yes, it does cut me, because I have not always followed God’scommands (remember there was a BC for me) but it is so true. How many times has yourdestination been without peace or righteousness? Many times when we arrive at our destinations,we have been on a road with intentions void of God and we will be left as the verse above describes.However, we serve a powerful and loving God! Look at this next verse by the Psalmist:Psalm 94:12-14New King James Version (NKJV)12Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O Lord,And teach out of Your law,13That You may give him rest from the days of adversity,Until the pit is dug for the wicked.14For the Lord will not cast off His people,Nor will He forsake His inheritance.I praise God that He instructs us in His ways, when we allow Him to. You see He is a loving God,and does not force us to follow Him. I love how He will never forsake us! That means that if wesimply give our heart to Him, and allow Him to fill us and guide us; we will reach our heavenlydestination!Have you stopped yet to evaluate all of your past destinations? Could they or should they havebeen different? When are you going to take a step in the right direction, the direction towards oursavior? I hope and pray that you take that step RIGHT now! Please understand that this message isfor unbelievers, new believers, and longtime believers. We can all slip off track, or start on thewrong track. We can all have great intentions, selfish intentions; and we can all have a multitude -to-godinspiredleaders-org/

Courageous Men--God Inspired Leadersdirections. In the end, we all arrive at the destination of the direction we were heading. The realproblem is our anchor point.Are you anchored in God, and does your heart belong to God? Is God your intentions, directionsand ultimate destination? Because if God is not your everything, then you will never arrive at yourintended destination. Do not leave it to chance, because you will be extremely disappointed! Placeyour destination in the hands of the Almighty, and then let Him set you on the direction that bringsyou to Him.As I wrap this up, I want you to be encouraged! I thank God that He gave us a roadmap,directions and wisdom in His Holy word. We must continue to dig into God’s word (daily) and seek itout with intent and determination and follow His directions for us. You are a leader and it is vitallyimportant that you are on the right direction to reach your God provided destination.In previous volumes we have talked about how you are a leader, no matter what the capacity is.You have and will continue to have people around you that will look to you for guidance, advice, anexample, and quite possibly God. So, what kind of leader will you be? My prayer is that you wouldfully accept God’s calling in your life, and step up with the full armor of God girded about you,prepared for battle and know assuredly that you are headed and leading in the right direction!We serve the most high and mighty God, the one and only God. May he comfort, guide andbless you with the necessary courage to face the devil and his evil forces, daily. I will be praying foryou, and know that God has equipped you with what you need. Always keep your sword with you!May God shower you with blessings.Your brother in 4/08/12/welcome-to-godinspiredleaders-org/

arrive at this surprise destination, because our direction and intentions were never aligned--never aligned with God. You have seen by the examples provided above, and I am sure by countless real life experiences, that we will always arrive at the destination of our direction; however, not always at the destination of our intentions.