Capturing Your Destiny

by Alexandra Copeland

When you get right down to it, a desire to know God is a desire to know ourselves. He is our Creator, and He created us to be a part of Himself. Genesis 1:26 tells us that God created us in His own image, and Romans 8:29 states that He predestined us to be conformed to the image of Christ. Through the Lord Jesus Christ, we have God’s seed—His DNA. Just as Heavenly Father designed DNA to be the carrier of biological information, He designed spiritual DNA the same way. Biological DNA is the foundational and distinctive characteristics of a person that is unchangeable and absolute. Spiritual DNA is the carrier of our individual destinies. When we understand this unalterable aspect of DNA, we will then have a pretty good picture of how incredibly important it is to walk the path of destiny that God has laid out specifically for us.

It is not a coincidence that God placed the record of our creation in the very first chapter of Genesis, the first book of His Word. 1Corinithians 14:33 tells us that He is not a God of disorder but of peace. He is perfectly systematic and leaves a pattern of organization that anchors our very existence. He begins His Word in Genesis by telling us first of the care He took to provide for us, and then He relays the record of our creation. He tells us who we are and why we exist. We would do well to recognize that the information He places first speaks to its essential, foundational attribute. He did this because He knows that people go off the rails when they don’t know who they are, because knowing who we are is the foundation upon which an abundant life will rest. People become drifters in every way when they don’t know their identity, and they never develop roots that connect back to the Source of all. This is typically a person not interested in knowing God, and therefore, not interested in knowing themselves.

As citizens of earth, we have no choice but to recognize the handwriting on the wall. We are heading into times of unprecedented confusion and chaos. The variables of uncertainty, the dismantling of institutions, and the unveiling of incalculable corruption is upon us and only those with blinders on can ignore it. For those for whom an internal and inexplicable stirring persists, capturing our destiny is no longer an option. God is up to something! In the middle of upheaval, a climate exists for phenomenal promotion and dynamic shifts, and we’ve got to open our eyes. God is expanding His Kingdom on earth, and we need to press into Him like never before.

In John 15:5(NLT), Jesus Christ said, “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” Many people try to live a life separate from Christ, but it is an exercise in unfruitfulness, because apart from him, we can’t know ourselves and most importantly, we can’t know God’s Will concerning our lives. The Word of God is our roadmap and the Holy Spirit that indwells us is our guide. We should not waste valuable resources exploring the ins-and-outs of what is happening externally. God’s got that well-handled. Our responsibility is to pay attention to what is happening internally, because that’s really where the Christ-action is.

Many people are experiencing discomfort in their circumstances, the likes of which they’ve never encountered. Spiritual warfare is no joke, but Jesus Christ told us in Romans 10:10 that we have an enemy, the devil, and he’s a thief whose only mission is to kill, steal, and destroy. We should realize that the enemy cares much less about our external; he aims for our minds and hearts, because this is where our faith is rooted. To undermine our faith is to snatch our destinies, and this is his objective.

Romans 8:28 (NLT) tells us, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” This promise is to those of us that are called according to God’s purpose. Have you accepted the call? Are you allowing your roots to grow down into Christ so that you are well-watered and strong? These are the questions of a lifetime. Your destiny is coded in your spiritual DNA. You may not know it fully, but the Holy Spirit is guiding you to it every moment of your life. Heed his direction and know that your identity is in Christ! Be the relentless soldier he has called and equipped you to be, so that you will capture your destiny and share in the glory of God. Be led by the Spirit!■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. 

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.