7 steps to fulfilling your destiny

I always wanted to write an article that gave instructions in the "step by step" format so I'm quite giddy about this being my first one and I believe what we will touch upon is so informative and powerful so please continue on...

"The word of God will produce the way you THINK. The way you think will produce the way you FEEL. The way you feel will produce the DECISIONS you make. The decisions you make will produce the ACTIONS you take. The actions you take will produce the HABITS you create. The habits you create will produce the CHARACTER you have....The character you have will produce the DESTINY you fulfill!"

This quote is what it takes to become the people that God is calling us to be. The problem is that we all do not adapt to these guidelines. So I decided to break this quote down to give us a better approach at getting here as a whole.

STEP ONE: The word of God will produce the way you THINK.

We all have one, and if we do not then we should have a version of the Bible. Most of us can locate and obtain one from our local dollar store for a mere buck. The trick now my friend is to not just own one but to open it up. It is imperative to spend time reading the word of God in order to know who He is and what He requires of his people. The word of God is living so once you do begin to read it; it will begin to stay with you. Thus, producing the way you THINK. Simple enough I think, so your homework assignment for today is to get your hands on a Bible and READ IT. It is a known fact that if you read the Bible for 30 minutes every day that you will complete it in its entirety within a year. I think God is worthy of at least 30 minutes of your 24 hour day; DO YOU??

STEP TWO: The way you think will produce the way you FEEL.

This is challenging especially if we do not engage in the first step. Our thoughts have so much influence over how we feel, have you ever had an awful thought and then your mood changed? For instance, this very morning I woke up with unpleasant thoughts and I became disturbed by these images. A few moments later I received a phone call from the person that was included in those thoughts, and although we were on the phone and I thought that I was being kind to them, yet they were able to sense something in my tone. After hanging up, I took the time to evaluate my mood and what exactly this person was speaking of. What I had noticed is that because I had produced these thoughts in my subconscious, I took it out on the person in my conscious state. If, I had continued to let those unpleasant thoughts plague me then I would have stolen the joy from my own day. When you begin to feel that your thoughts are overwhelming you, ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS revert to step one.

STEP THREE: The way you feel will produce the DECISIONS you make.

Emotions are "mental" states and the way that we react to these conditions factor in on decision making. The other day a friend of mines was explaining how someone was making her so angry she wanted to get into a physical confrontation with this person. I told her that no one can ever make you that angry; only she can. When her mental state is signaling feelings of anger, she could make the decision to diffuse it quickly, or she could choose to get into an altercation with this person, either way it is a decision, a choice. The same is true for positive feelings, as well. I know that there is a cliche that states, "You can not help who you love". Well that is erroneous because LOVE also is a choice and that is why Jesus deemed it necessary to love others. He was saying to us to CHOOSE to love one another. He was saying to us to make a decision on this God given feeling.... Think about that a bit before moving on to the next step for me.

STEP FOUR: The decisions you make will produce the ACTIONS you take.

When you make a decision, you move on it. Because this step is so obvious and closely related to step three, I'm going to proceed to the next one.

STEP FIVE: The actions you take will produce the HABITS you create.

If, we constantly take these actions they will eventually become patterns of behavior. Without notice, these learned behaviors with become habitual and will be done without awareness. It takes at least 21 days to create and/or break a habit, so invest in doing something you do not mind having become a part of your life.

STEP SIX: The habits you create will produce the CHARACTER you have.

Our character is who we are, it is not like our personalities, which tend, to change because the character is based off of our core values that exhibit our qualities as a person. Our characters are accumulated off of all of the above (thoughts, values, words, and actions.) The repetition of our habits, again, good or bad will develop these core values. If I developed a habit of nail biting in my childhood, then when I have a child it is highly probable that I will not recommend my child not to bite their nails because my belief says that there is nothing wrong with it. If my grandmother were a virgin until married and my mother were a virgin until marriage and I married without having sexual relations. I will most likely teach my children to abstain from sex until married. So on and so on; all based off of my core values. The point here is that even small things that we tend to do will influence who we become.

STEP SEVEN: The character you have will produce the DESTINY you fulfill.

Before, I continue to do with this step I want to start it off with giving you the definition of what the word destiny means. (taken from The American Heritage Dictionary)

noun. 1. The inevitable or necessary fate to which a particular person or thing is destined; one's lot.

2. A predetermined course of events considered as something beyond human power or control.

3. The power or agency thought to predetermine events.

According to these definitions one's destiny is something that is beyond us, in other words, I would say that our destiny are God orchestrated events that we have no control over. Our destiny is His purpose. The steps above are our keys to successfully fulfilling and completing what God has sent each of us here to do. My destiny (predetermined events) will look different from yours and yours from mines, but the goal is to fulfill it. For example, I explained to a friend the other day that God has an individual plan for each of us, and through the Bible He teaches each one of us how to achieve it. He is so magnanimous that He tells us what the plan is, and He also tells us how to get there, we as humans however have the ability to alter that course. Regardless of whether or not we get to that plan broken and/or ragged or full of the power that we could have gained through following God's instruction, we will eventually get there.

So as a conclusion, I say follow the steps and fulfill your destiny with the least amount of bruises and blemishes. It is going to take all that you have in order to serve God for an eternity. Remember that this time here on earth is only preparation for your after life, so I'll be praying for you and myself alike. Praise Yahweh.

Dear Lost Soul,

You do not know me because we have not met yet but I want you to know that I am in preparation for your arrival. I am in some unique and uncomfortable situations, all for your sake. I do not know you, but I do love you.

I can honestly say that I love you. If it were not for you, I would not be pushed to grow in this capacity. I would not be challenged or forced to view myself from various angles. At times, I have played with the notion of resenting you. I am enduring sleepless nights because I am up late in tears. Also because of the rug burns, I have for being on my knees before the Lord full of sorrow, pain and distress; but your soul is worth it. You are worth every one of these heartaches and headaches.

Dearest lost soul: I can only imagine how many blessings you will receive through my experiences. I ask God and pray fervently that you listen with not just your ears but that you will hear me with your heart, as well. Everything that I have to offer is specifically for your benefit. I am here by the grace of God because you were to follow behind me, but you must remember that others will come after you, so it is your responsibility to share what you learn. It is utterly imperative that you do not get caught up in yourself or become blinded by your own trials. Do not miss the opportune moment to share.

My eyes are wide open because I believe you are coming soon. My intuition says that you are just a mere SEASON away, so once I get up from this FALL, I will have what it takes to SPRING you up.

Let me tell you what else I know about our meeting...

You have a story that will help me along the rest of my journey, as well. That is beautiful, is it not? I also know that there are blessings behind the experiences you will share. There is an ancient Chinese proverb that I truly love which states: "when the student is ready, the teacher will appear." This is fascinating because this truth goes both ways; our roles are easily interchangeable.

I can not wait to meet you.

Sincerely,
Mentor Minded