Remember when...
Didn't it feel like we used to have some control in life? We believed if we were good, worked hard, and watched our finances closely, everything would turn out fine. We believed we could control our destiny. Clearly this day and age is much different then the world many of us grew up in, but has anyone ever been in control of their destiny? Even so, we can never succumb to becoming...
People of fate.
"Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." 1 Corinthians 15:32
People who live by fate (luck) or fall prey (doom) to it are plagued by three basic woes: fear (dread and distress); doubt (uncertainty and cynicism); and worry (anxiety and apprehension). These woes feed off one another and will eventually consume the person - it eats them up. When you think about it, fate is kind of a lazy approach to life - What happens, happens ("It is what it is"). But living by fate turns us into victims. People with this mindset are helpless to stop it - whatever it is. We can refuse to be rendered helpless to the schemes of this world, because...
We are people of faith.
"I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
God has always had a plan for me. Just saying this makes people bristle. Who is God to plan my life? Uh, God. So they control their own destiny. But because they hold no sway (jurisdiction) over life, they are left to fate. They do have power to choose God and become a person of faith. The moment I gave my life to Jesus, He became my Lord. What this means is I am not in charge of me anymore. Some mistake submission for slavery, but only when God is our mater are we truly free. Fate no longer has the final word over my life, my Father in Heaven does.
"A man's steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand his own way." Proverbs 20:24
from sermon notes, January 2, 2022
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