Each person has a unique destiny over their life. It doesn’t matter whether you are famous or unknown or rich or poor. It doesn’t matter whether you are older or younger or male or female. It doesn’t matter what nation or racial background you come from. What matters is that you understand that each and every one has a particular purpose for their life.
So what is destiny? Well Destiny is not about fatalism where we just wait to see what develops in life. Neither is destiny all about us becoming masters of our own fate. Rather it is about the combination of discovering God’s will for our lives and playing our part to bring it to pass. The apostle Paul put it like this in Philippians 3:12: ‘I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.’ He knew that God had taken hold of his life for a purpose, but he had to live in line with that purpose.
As we continue our studies in Acts, we see what this meant practically for the apostle Paul and what lessons we can learn from his example and experience about taking hold of our own destinies. Acts 21, 22 and the start of chapter 23 tells the dramatic story about how the gospel moved forward in the face of strong opposition.
1. To take hold of your destiny always be determined to follow the Lord’s will (Acts 20:16,22-24; Acts 21:10-15; Daniel 3:17-18; Luke 9:51)
2. To take hold of your destiny always be thankful to the Lord (Acts 21:17-20; Psalm 34; Philippians 4:4-7)
3. To take hold of your destiny always be faithful as an ambassador of the Lord (Acts 21-22)
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Are you always determined to follow the Lord’s will? Are you faithful to obeying what you know that the Holy Spirit has put in your heart to do? The apostle Paul strongly believed that God had a clear purpose for him to go to Jerusalem and that he needed to get there as soon as possible (Acts 20:16; 22). He was sure in his heart that the Holy Spirit wanted him to be in Jerusalem, so did all he could to get to Jerusalem quickly. But following the leading of the Holy Spirit was not as straightforward as it sounded and Paul was increasingly aware that doing the will of God would not be easy (Acts 20:22-24). Paul received further warnings on his travels about troubles that were waiting for him (Acts 21:10-12). How would you react to all these words of concern from your friends and this dramatic prophecy about walking into trouble? Paul believed in prophets and did not disagree with this prophecy, but it didn’t change his determination to go to Jerusalem (Acts 21:13-15). Yes, we should listen to good advice from faithful friends and wise counsellors, Yes, we should be welcoming, not dismissive, of prophetic words, especially from a respected prophet and particularly when we don’t have the same experience of the Holy Spirit as the apostle Paul did. But every individual must be faithful to obeying what they know that the Holy Spirit has put in their hearts. Paul remained resolute in following the will of God even though it was clear big challenges lay ahead. We see something similar in the Old Testament when three young Jews resisted great pressure to adapt themselves to the pagan culture of Babylon, even at risk to their own lives (Daniel 3:17-18). Towards the end of his ministry Jesus also knew that going to Jerusalem put his life at risk yet He 'steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem’ (Luke 9:51). And when His enemies came to arrest Him, He didn’t run because He had already told His Heavenly father that He had decided ‘not my will but yours be done.’ Everyone who is serious about fulfilling their destiny will, sooner or later, have to decide whether to turn back or go forward to obey God’s will for your life no matter how difficult the road may be. Today no matter what challenges you may be facing right now or what others maybe advising you to do even with the best of motives, discover God’s will and push on through every obstacle to fulfil the destiny that God has for you.
Do you live a life of constant praise and thankfulness to the Lord? The apostle Paul experienced many problems, but he also had much to praise God for (Acts 21:17-20). It may have seemed like Paul had hundreds of problems, but he had seen many thousands of his fellow Jews become believers in Jesus. The blessings were greater than the battles. We always have to focus on the positive not the negative: what you have in your life, not what you don’t have; what God is doing, not what Satan is trying to do. God is greater than Satan and provides everything we need for life and godliness. It’s so important to daily look at the possibilities ahead of you, not the problems around you. Like King David who encouraged himself in the Lord when he had lost everything, we must always motivate ourselves to keep focussed on the Lord who can strengthen and deliver us, and praise the Lord at all times (Psalm 34). Paul said something similar from prison (Philippians 4:4-7). If you want to survive and thrive in life, then consider everything you can praise God for and do just that. Then you will know that the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Have you determined to take hold of your destiny? Will you always be faithful as an ambassador of the Lord no matter how hostile the environment? As the high-octane events of this story unfold in Acts 21:21-40, we see that Paul did indeed go through the great trials that he had been warned about. In fact, the whole of Jerusalem was whipped up into a frenzy of opposition that resulted in him needing to be rescued from imminent death by the Roman commander and a company of soldiers. Yet in the midst of these terrifying events where the mob seized him and dragged him through the streets, Paul quickly recovered his composure and took this opportunity to speak to a large and hostile crowd (Acts 22:1-21). In short, he makes clear his belief that: Jesus can totally change your life; Jesus will reveal Himself to you; and Jesus is Lord. Paul was never ashamed or intimidated when it came to faithfully be declaring his faith in Jesus. Today we thank God that we have a Queen who always makes clear her Christian faith. We also thank God for all the many courageous Christians around the world in persecuted countries who show their faithfulness to Jesus above all else. But we too must each make our decisions to stand up and speak up for Christ in private places and public spaces, no matter how hostile people maybe. For when we are faithful to God, we will discover for sure that the Lord will always be faithful to us in helping us fulfil the particular destiny that He has for each one of us.
