Sermon Central
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Discovering Your Destiny
Contributed by Kevin Taylor on Oct 28, 2001 (message contributor)
Summary: Discover answers to life’s most puzzling questions of purpose. Such as: What’s life for? What am I here for? What does God want from me? Where do I fit in?
I. What is Your Destiny? Where Are You Going?
A. Do You Know Your Destination? Or Are You A Statistic?
1. Most people are not happy with their life simply going to work everyday doing the same old thing day in and day out!
(a) Work – that four-letter word.
(b) One man told his friend: I lost my job because of illness and fatigue.
Second man: Really, how awful!
First man: Yeah, my boss got sick and tired of me. 2. George Barna’s Research Group has conducted several nationwide surveys on this subject . This survey information, taken from telephone interviews with a nationwide random sample of 1002 adults, was conducted in February 2000.
(a) For instance, 9 out of 10 adults describe themselves as being ‘self-sufficient.’ (92%)
(b) And, most people (2 out of 3) admit that they ‘like to be in control of their own lives.’ (66%)
3. Now, while that may sound good, the problem is that if we are ‘self-sufficient’ and ‘in control,’ then it means we are not ‘God-sufficient’ and letting Him be in control…of everything!
4. However, for at least half of our nation, life satisfaction would be enhanced if they could transcend their packed schedules to figure out the meaning and purpose of their life. For surely, our purpose is not to spend an entire life working, working, working, working and then dying!!! Right?
(a) Well, that’s exactly the way it will be for you as long as you are ‘self-sufficient’ and ‘in control’ of your life!!!
5. Half of the people surveyed admit to being too busy – especially those under the age of 50 and those with children at home.
6. Less than 4 out of every 10 surveyed say their life is well-described by the term ‘in debt.’ How depressing!
7. One out of every ten surveyed say they are dealing with some sort of addiction in their life. Why? Because they are trying to be ‘self-supporting!’
8. 35% of women say that they feel ‘stressed out’ with life, compared to 23% of the men.
9. Over half of all adults surveyed state that they are still trying to find a few good friends that they can rely on.
10. Americans seem to possess a great degree of self-confidence and self-reliance.
11. Six out of ten people admit to being ‘skeptical.’
12. Not so amazingly, half of all Americans said they are ‘searching for the meaning and purpose in life.’
13. However, the amazing fact is that, of the born again Christians surveyed, George Barna discovered that half of them were puzzled as their purposes in life!
14. Summary. The following terms were used in the survey by those being surveyed who confessed to be born again Christians, in describing themselves:
(a) Stressed Out: 31%
(b) Too Busy: 49%
(c) Needing New Friends: 50%
(d) In Debt: 40%
(e) Dealing with Addiction: 11%
(f) Self-Sufficient: 90%
(g) Searching for purpose: 48%
(h) Skeptical: 55%
(i) Likes to ‘be in control’: 62%
B. Where Do You Fit In?
C. The fact is that most people, and according to our survey, almost half of everyone in this room right now, have no idea what their purpose is in life.
D. While we want to live the good life, be prosperous, be happy and enjoy our lives, many of us don’t know how to!
E. That’s because our society has taught us how to become ‘self-sufficient’ and ‘self-reliant.’
F. Sad to say, but in some areas of life, we’ve left God out of the equation!
II. The Road Map to Your Destiny
A. Life is like a road trip.
B. There are many routes that can get you where you are to where you want to be.
C. Of course, for us as Christians, heaven is the ultimate destination, and there are decisions we make here on earth that will determine whether or not we’ll make it there!
D. And, whether you’ve realized it or not, God has mapped out a plan for your life!
E. Your journey toward your God-given destiny began the day you were born.
F. The goal for you now, as a believer, is to find the will of God in your life, for every part of your life, so that you can stay on course to the very end!
G. Unfortunately, as the survey shows us, most people take alternate routes and get off track from the will of God and the routes that don’t go toward God’s will always go away from His will!!!
H. What is a detour except something that takes us off the path that God has for us!
(1) A detour is a diversion!
I. Perhaps you’ve wondered what your purpose is in life.
(1) You may have even asked yourself, and God, Where do I belong? Where do I fit in?
