INTRODUCTION
There is a latin saying – Carpe diem!! Which translates to Seize the day!
That is my challenge to you today!
You were born so the Earth would be better off because you were here.
Place your hand over your heart. Feel that? That’s called purpose. You’re alive for a reason!
Always wear your invisible crown!!
I am fairly certain that given a cape and a nice tiara, I could save the world!
When we put our lives in Christ’s hands and yield ourselves unreservedly to Him, we can be certain that He has a great plan for us. He can use everything that has happened to us in the past and every circumstance in our present experience to help carry out that plan.
Predestined
- You were predestined. You have a destiny.
- In simple terms destiny is God’s purpose for your life.
- Your destiny existed before you did.
- The purpose of life is a life of purpose
Positioned
POSITION:- condition with reference to place; location; situation. Status or standing
- God has placed you here in this time, in this country, in this city, in your family, in your workplace.
- It is no accident that you are in the street you are in, the workplace, the family, the Church. God has a plan for you!
- He has appointed the places you shall live.
“From one man He made every nation of men that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.” (Acts 17:26)
- Esther was in place as Queen before the threat to the Jews was apparent. God placed Esther on the throne even before the Jews faced the possibility of destruction, so that when trouble came, a person would already be in the position to help.
- Where you are positioned expect favour from both God and man. “The girl pleased him and won his favour” (Esther 2:9)
- Also – how many women had already presented themselves to the King? Don’t worry about where everyone else is – your gifts will make way for you! God will make way for you.
Prepared
PREPARATION:- To put in proper condition or readiness. Waiting
- “I will prepare and some day my chance will come.” (Abraham Lincoln)
- Be comfortable in the waiting – 12 months before the encounter that would change Esther’s life forever.
- Be the ant – do a little everyday (John Grisham)
- Esther began 6 months of treatment with oil of myrrh. Myrrh is both bitter and pleasantly fragrant. It was used to embalm people and cover the smell of flesh. It also heals many ailments. It removes impurities and softens the skin. Treatment with myrrh represents repentance, dying to self
- 6 months of perfumes and cosmetics. Frankincense releases its fragrance when set on fire. This treatment represents praise and worship. Sweet aroma. Saturated with perfume! Intimacy with God.
- Charlotte Gambil said this “how you are internally poised will affect how far you go in living out the destiny God has for you.
- The Power of Planning – If we want to live a life of significance, we need to understand that it won’t happen by accident. We must be intentional about the choices we make in relation to our dreams. We must also set goals to ensure we are moving toward them daily. Plan your time according to your priorities rather than letting life just happen. Be intentional about what you do / do not do. Let your God given dream fuel you. Many people live life “going with the flow” or “taking life as it comes.” They have no strategy or infrastructure in place to facilitate the realization of their dream. The fact is, when it comes to fulfilling our destiny, we can’t hit a target that we cannot see. Esther had a plan to follow – 6 months of myrrh, 6 months of perfume. Then choose what you want when you go to the king.
As you pursue your dreams set very specific goals along the way. only a succession of small, daily, measured steps would take me into the future I envisioned. Of course this was coupled with God’s favor, anointing, and opportunity. Esther had to be in the palace for her opportunity to be Queen.
It’s not enough to see the future we want; we have to be deliberate about the actions we take to make this future a reality.
Purposeful
PURPOSE:- The reason for which something exists or is done, made, used
We now move from Esther’s preparation and jump past her being made Queen, to Esther summoning the courage to appear unsummoned before the King. She has one question in mind – how to save her people.
Purpose is what drives you. Purpose is what gave Esther the courage to appear before the King. Purpose is what gave Esther the courage to risk her life.
Zaccheus was a man of action. He heard that Jesus was coming to Jericho (Luke 19:1-10) and went to great effort to be sure he could see him. He climbed up a sycamore tree. He didn’t care what others thought – he moved toward the goal to see Jesus. He postioned himself to be found. The rest is history – Jeuss saw him, Zaccheaes was blessed and hten the entire town benefited from the encounter – he gave the poor ½ his wealth and paid back everyone 4 times what he tool.
Fulfilling your destiny requires commission – cooperation with God’s mission for you. A commission must be acted upon. It will affect not only you, but the world around you.
Action requires risk. Taking a risk takes courage. Esther took a risk to go see the King. Zacchaes had to climb a tree so he could see. Mary risked ridicule by pouring oil on Jesus feet. The men who broke open a roof to let their friend down in front of Jesus all took a risk.
God chose where you would be placed but we have a choice as to what we should do.
Keep your eyes on the goal and not the obstacles.
Risk born out of great determination is courage – the Old Testament word for faith.
Push past fear
Push past doubt
Push past anxiety
We must take advantage of the opportunities He has made available to us in the here and now. He may later open wider spheres of opportunity if that suits His purposes, but that is in His hands. Our responsibility is to let Him use us where we are.
The message of Esther is that God might engineer the circumstances, but what happens after that is ultimately up to us. God might prod us, but we might refuse. And if we refuse, people might die.
Say yes to opportunities
Opportunities exist that you need to catch
Joan of Arc – “I am not afraid….I was born to do this”
So you’re positioned, prepared, have a purpose…..but still quaking in your shoes! What now!
- BE YOURSELF – ‘Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.’ St. Catherine of Siena.
Be yourself. Everyone else is taken (Oscar Wilde)
If Esther had tried to be like the other women she would not have been chosen.
- KNOW THAT YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE –
GOD + NOTHING = EVERYTHING YOU NEED!
“We need to do what we can do and let God do what we cannot.” (Joyce Meyer)
History is full of stories of ordinary people leading extraordinary lives as they stepped up to be change agents and shape their times. Churchill rallied a nation against Hitler. Martin Luther King had a dream that brought segregation to an end in the United States. Ghandi, a lawyer from India, broke the strength of the British Empire and a nation was born. In our own land, Kate Shepherd forged the way for New Zealand women to have the vote in 1893, before any other country granted women the same right. These ordinary people demonstrate that one person can make a difference.
Even more so, throughout the Bible we see time and time again, God choosing the few to overcome the many; the small to overcome the large. We see it with David and Goliath, Gideon and his 300 soldiers, and Elijah against the prophets of Baal.
We may not be Kings or Queens, Knights or Prime Ministers, but we are all change makers. We all have a sphere of influence. You may be just one person – one Christian in your family, one Christian in your workplace but you carry within you the King and Lord of all! Don’t underestimate your ability to influence. You affect and impact the people you are around. You can be that tipping point for change that your family, your workplace, city and nation so need.
We were all created for a specific purpose by our God. A purpose to change the world in which we live, to do His divine will. Every pawn on the chess board has a role and is needed if the game is to be won. Don’t discredit yourself if you are not the Bishop or the Queen. We are all needed. We are all planned for. We all have a role to play. We are told in Daniel that “the people that know their God shall be strong, and do exploits” (Daniel 11:32). So we can confidently and boldly step out and impact every nation and every generation.
“It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, He had His eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose He is working out in everything and everyone.” (Ephesians 1:11)
When God looks at you, His focus is not on what you don’t have. His focus is on what you do have. He doesn’t care about your limitations, your IQ, or your education – He cares about what is in your heart. He is moved by people whose hearts are wholly on Him, and He will strengthen those people.
“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9)
So watch for that divine connection when you’re out with friends, with family and at work. Understand that there is more to what is going on around you than “you.” There is a divine purpose from God for where you are placed and who you are!
It takes just one person to stand. So don’t despise the day of small beginnings -just keep on being obedient to whatever God tells you to do. Those small acts of obedience to God, those small responses to God moving in your life all count. They are all part of you living your destiny!
Small becomes large – a minority becomes a majority when our God is involved. Your encouragement could be the fuel that someone needs to finish the race.
Small Things Make A Big Difference . Have you ever seen a big ship leave the dock as it prepares to sail the big seas? I recently watched a huge ship pulled out, turned around, and pushed out by a tiny tug boat as it left Port. I was totally mesmerized by the power of a small tugboat; I could not believe such a small thing could literally turn around an entire ship.
“ If you think you’re too small to have an impact try going to bed with a mosquito in the room”
“Act if what you do makes a difference. It does” William James
(VIDEO 2 – The power of one)
- GO! – The 1st step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not staying where you are. In his book “Mud sweat and tears” Bear Grylls shares what his colonel in the SAS said to him upon passing selection: “What makes our work here exraordinary is that everyone here goes that little bit extra. When everyone else gives up, we give more. That is what sets us apart.” ….Sounds like something Jesus would do-go the extra mile, do something extra…and something Jesus would ask us to do. (Jn 15:13)
We can ask God to be the “extra” something in someones life…to see the need and meet it…they will be blessed and will you step from the ‘ordinary’ into living an’ extra-ordinary’ life!
When the story of these times gets written, we want to say that we did all we could, and it was more than anyone could have imagined. (Bono)
THIS IS IT!
Time = Moments = Now
Destiny – you are living it now.
Don’t forget to remember to show up for your one & only life!
Don’t forget to remember to be fully here while on your way there!
Forever is composed of nows. – Emily Dickinson
Don’t forget to remember that life is not a series of accidents, it is a series of divine appointments! Don’t miss any today! Christine Caine
(VIDEO 2 – LIVE INSPIRED)
CONCLUSION
God has a purpose for you, right now, right where you are, no matter who you are, where you live, what you have experienced in the past, or what you are facing in the future. In fact He has allowed you to come to this place in your life for a definite purpose, “for such a time as this.” He has something specific for you to accomplish in your present situation, and He wants you to look for the opportunities in that present sphere of influence.
Kim Walker-Smith from Jesus culture said this “In the pursuit of following Him, He brought my destiny to me. I didn’t have to chase my destiny. It came.”
Your destiny is not something you choose, it is something you discover, It is in your dna already.
Don’t know what your purpose is? Start with this! Love God and let others know of God’s love for them.
Wesley offered this advice “Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, to all the souls you can, in every place you can, at all the times you can, with all the zeal you can, as long as ever you can”
Live with passion. Love extravagently, laugh often, be bold in faith and generous with grace
How different would your life be if you lived constantly aware of the fact that…
God is with you.
God has a purpose for you.
God’s power is in you.
Let these realities transform every moment of your day!
The question isn’t, “Who will God call?” The question is, “Who will respond?” God want us to take steps in reaching the lost, the blind, and the hurting. But we need to stop thinking it will happen once we are done with school, or once the kids are out of school, or once you get married, or once we have the job we want. The time is now.
You have a unique position. God has placed you with purpose. You right now.
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? ”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Don’t count the days. Make the days count
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us” (Gandalf)
THIS IS IT!
SEIZE THE DAY!
My Sacred Obsession 