SHAPING THE DESTINY OF MEN

As Christians we need to make decisions that will change our entire life. These decisions are threefold namely:

i. When we decide to give our lives totally to Christ.

ii. When we decide to be all we can be in life. This is when we       refuse to settle for less than we can be.

iii. When we decide to raise our standards, our values and our expectations in life.

This will be the beginning of an exciting journey towards our destiny, a journey that could take us to many nations around the world. These decisions could enable us to meet people who can help change us and bring new adventure and excitements into our lives.
There is power in making a decision. Everything that happens in our lives, including success or failure, begins with a decision. Our destiny is shaped by our decisions. The decisions we make today will determine our tomorrows - the future. For example, what we are today is the result of our past.
We may have decided to go to high school, college or bible school, or not to. We may have decided to get married, have children, or not to. We may have decided to buy or build a house, or not to. We may have decided to make a career move, go into business, or not to. We may have decided to get into debt, or not to.
Every decision we make has an outcome. The decisions we make, not our environment, will determine and shape our destiny. There are thousands of testimonies of men and women who have succeeded in life in spite of all the disadvantages they had. Our decisions, not our environment, will determine our destiny.  We need then to do the following in shaping our destiny:
1. Take action

When we make a decision that decision has to be followed by action. It is our action, not mere words that make our decisions powerful. Every action we take produces either a positive or negative result. We reap what we sow. If we want to change our lives, we must take actions that will produce the kind of result we desire. Different actions produce different results. We can become what we want by paying the right price. If we are not happy with what is going on in our lives, then we need to stop what we are doing and start doing things differently. We need to stop what we are doing and start doing things differently. We need to change our actions and start sowing a different kind of seed.
We have learned that most things in life are attainable and possible if the proper price is met. Most people would attain what they desire if they would learn to focus their attention on those things that are important and if they were willing to consistently improve themselves by developing new skills and friends.
We have lived long enough to see people who had humble beginnings hold them back. By the same token, we have seen people born into privileged environments, with every good opportunity for success end up in defeat and frustration. Life is what we make of it.
In order for us to shape our destiny, we must learn how to deal with today. We must fill our today with things that will change all of our tomorrows. We must learn to expand, grow, learn new things ask the right questions, and spend our today with the tight people. We must be willing to change, not just any kind of change, but the right kind of change.
Knowing what we can do in life is not good enough. We must act upon our knowledge. We must take action. When the appropriate actions are taken in specific areas of our lives we can create lasting improvements in shaping our destiny as men.
2. How To Shape Our Destiny
a. We must have a goal
If we want to shape our destiny, we must have a goal or dream of what we would like our future to be like. For example, five (5) or ten (10) years form now, what would we like to see happening in our lives? What would we like to have accomplished? What change would we like to see?

b. We must consider the following questions

i. What can we do today this month this year, that would help in changing our future?

ii. Is there a habit in our lives that is hindering us from becoming all we can be?.

iii. Is there a course, a seminar, a training class, a lesson or an action we should take to help us move from this level of our lives to the next level?

iv.Is there a person (s) we should meet or get to know who will be a positive influence and help us redirect our lives?

c. We must take appropriate actions at appropriate times.
To shape our destiny we must learn to take appropriate actions in the appropriate time.Avoid delaying to another time. This has made many lose great opportunities in their lives.
d. It is important to use God’s standards
We need to set our standards according to the Word of God. We have to know what to expect from ourselves. This will help us to raise our standards higher and act according to have higher aspirations. We have to discover the things or the habits we can no longer value in our lives. This process is coming to believe in God’s power in our lives.
e.  Meditation is key.
We should discipline ourselves to meditate on things that matter in life. This is to concentrate our effort on those things that count. It is actually investigating our available resources where they will be more productive. There are some steps we can take here that will impact our future.

i. Be sure not to major on minor things

ii. Be sure to walk in the plans of God.

iii. Be sure to expand our lives by learning new things, growing in new areas and friendships.

iv. Be sure to increase our knowledge, being innovative and creative.

f. The current conditions we face do not matter
Always remember, it is not the condition of our lives that matters, but the decision we make. If we make the right decisions, they will change our conditions. We must avoid making excuses for our failures. Excuses can be destructive and will limit our productivity.
Some people blame their families on lack of a good education, opportunity, or the way they were treated by their parents. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and making the right decisions, one can rise above the misfortunes of the past.
It is not where we start in life that matters, but where we are determined to end up. Our decisions matter.
g. Ensure that you follow through.
We should not make decision when we do not intend to follow through on them. We should be committed to our decisions. We must cut ourselves off from anything that will obstruct or hinder us.

h. Avoid short-term gains
We cannot change our lives overnight. We must have a long-term focus in our lives. The small decisions we make along the way will eventually mature and produce fruit. So always remember, failure or success is not made overnight, but is a product of those seeds that we plant in life’s garden along the way.
i.  Avoid short-term gratification
We should avoid making decisions that are based on short-term gratification. Short-term solutions can become long-term problems.

i. We should be committed to long-term results

ii.  We should avoid short-term fixes.

iii.  It is good to recognize that God’s delay are not God’s denials. God thinks long-term. When God does something in our lives, it affects our entire life.

iv. There are things that are impossible in the short-term, but possible in the long term.

j. Barriers will be removed
Failure, obstacles or adversities are not permanent. They will pass. Persistence can change a lot of things. Learn to make use of all failures and learn from them.
k. Be willing to change
We can change almost anything in our life if we have enough motivation. To change, we must have motivation and a sense of urgency to get started. Some people want to change, but they do not know what they want to change, they should know what they want and what is hindering them from getting it.
l.  Have a plan of action (POA)
We must have a sense of direction, setting our sights on the things that are worthwhile in life. It is necessary to have them but many do not know what they want to change to. We should know what we want and what is hindering our financial goals. As we work towards our desired goal, we should keep a proper perspective in every area of our life. For example, we must not neglect our spiritual life when we are pursuing our financial goals.

m. Protect your mind
Our though-life is very important because we become what we think. To succeed in life, we must develop right thinking. This may take days, weeks, months, or even years to develop and establish new thought patterns. Try to avoid negative environments and negative people.