How to Change Your Attitude and Define Your Destiny
Beholding your new identity in Christ affects your destiny. How we see ourselves affects everything we do and subsequently the fruit we bear. This is why it’s so important to study the Word. It’s the source of knowledge about ourselves, and it reveals our destiny. It takes time to search it out.
Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little…. (Isaiah 28:9-10 KJV)Mary and Joseph were devout Jews who raised their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Beginning when Jesus was a small child, they taught him precept upon precept and line upon line. Jesus learned who He was through the Word of God that bore witness with His Spirit that He was the Christ. And that is also exactly how we discover who we are.
And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Luke 2:42-49) [Emphasis mine]At the age of twelve, Jesus discovered who He was and what He was sent to do. Mary and Joseph didn’t reveal this mystery to Him. They simply led Him to the Word of God where His spirit bore witness with the truth. It was God the Father, and God alone, who revealed Jesus’ identity. No man on earth could reveal it. The apostle Peter also saw this truth about Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. Every day he meditated in the Scriptures, and when Jesus confronted him, saying, “Who do men say that I am?” and “Whom do you say that I am?” he declared, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered, “Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 16:13-16 KJV).This signifies that the revelation of who you are in Christ can only come from the Father through the Word of God. Jesus, the pattern Son, perfectly demonstrated the path that all men are to take to receive this divine revelation from the Father. Jesus discovered Himself in the Scriptures. He saw that He came from the Father, He saw that His purpose was to destroy the works of Satan, and He saw the path He must take: the cross. More than all of that, He saw what joy was set before Him—being seated on the throne at the right hand of God and bringing many men to glory. His entire purpose and destiny were revealed through the Scriptures.
The revelation of who you are in Christ can only come from the Father through the Word of God.
Our parents, friends, and college professors cannot really tell us who we are, where we came from, why we are here, or what our purpose is in life. God and only God has the answer to these questions and they are found in His Word, both written (scriptures) and living (Jesus). Through a searching of the Scriptures and a personal relationship with the Lord, these mysteries are revealed to each of us.
"Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—In the volume of the book it is written of Me—To do Your will, O God.’” Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second." (Hebrews 10:5-9) [Emphasis mine]"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." (John 5:39-40 KJV) [Emphasis mine]As a young boy growing up, Jesus searched the Scriptures daily, and the Father spoke to Him: “That’s You, Lamb of God.” “That’s You, Immanuel.” “That’s You, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” “That’s You, seed of Abraham...Messiah...Son of David.” Jesus discovered Himself and the scope of His destiny by looking into the volume of the Scriptures. We’re to discover who we are and what we need to do in the volume of the same book with our spirit bearing witness in the Holy Ghost.
Even after the crucifixion, Jesus personally modeled the divine path to understanding the mystery of Christ in you, the hope of glory. There were two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus, both of whom were down-in-the-mouth about Jesus’ death because they did not yet understand what had taken place at the cross. When Jesus showed up asking why they were so doom and gloom, these guys didn’t even recognize Him. They said, “Where the heck have you been?! Haven’t you heard what happened to Jesus in Jerusalem?!”"Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself." (Luke 24:25-27 KJV) [Emphasis mine]Jesus took these guys straight to the Word of God and said, “You see that right there. Look what Moses said:”
"I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him." (Deuteronomy 18:18) “That’s me!” “You see that right there. Look what Isaiah said:”
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this." (Isaiah 9:6-7 KJV) “That’s me!” “You see that right there. Look what Malachi said:”
“But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.” (Malachi 4:2 NLT)“That’s me!”
All purpose and destiny are wrapped up in the revelation of what Christ has done for us.
The disciples listened to Jesus, and after being renewed in the spirit of their mind and made receptive to the Holy Scriptures, their eyes were opened. They knew Him. It is by our steadfast perseverance in the Scriptures and submission to the Spirit of God that we also will come to the revelation of Christ in us. It’s vitally important for us to pursue this revelation of God’s work on our behalf.
All purpose and destiny are wrapped up in the revelation of what Christ has done for us. God has put it on my heart to declare this truth over and over, with clarity and simplicity.
"For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease." (2 Peter 1:12-15)I don’t plan on dying anytime soon, but I do want to make sure you’re established in this present truth. I assure you that Satan relentlessly will attack your identity throughout your life. You must have these truths deeply embedded in the core of your being, so you’ll be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
We must snap out of our old, hazy pictures of ourselves and wake up to the marvelous identity that we have in Jesus.
God uses the Scriptures to reveal the calculating patterns of the devil against mankind, and nothing illustrates this more clearly than Satan’s attack on Jesus in the wilderness. In the book of Matthew, we see Jesus being tempted by Satan in three distinct ways. Each attack was directed at robbing Him of His identity. The first two were a direct assault on who He was, and the third was a cunning attempt to get Him to go horizontal for His value—looking to man for His assurance. If the enemy can get us to go horizontal—to look to things or others for our validation instead of remaining vertical in relationship with the Father—then we’re done for. This is the crux of the matter. Mankind has been in an identity crisis. We must snap out of our old, hazy pictures of ourselves and wake up to the marvelous identity that we have in Jesus. We must choose what God’s Word says about us. This is exactly what Jesus did in the wilderness. He refuted Satan and chose the Word.
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:1-4) [Emphasis mine]When Satan tried to get Jesus to doubt who He was, Jesus simply turned to God’s Word as the source of His identity. Jesus recognized that an attack on His identity was an assault on His destiny.
"Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” (Matthew 4:5-7) [Emphasis mine]Once again, Satan made a direct assault on Jesus’ identity. He knew that if he could get Jesus to waiver in His identity, he could derail His destiny. He tried to get Jesus to prove who He was by some kind of action (doing vs. being). But Jesus knew who He was and had nothing to prove.
"Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” (Matthew 4:8-10)In the first two temptations, Satan directly questioned Jesus: “If you’re the Son of God... (then do this.)” When that did not work, Satan tried to get Jesus to serve creation more than the Creator, offering Him unlimited wealth and power in the earth. Right from the start, as Jesus was entering His earthly ministry (the divine call on His life from the Father), Satan directly attacked His awareness of who God the Father called Him to be and how He was to accomplish the things God had laid out for Him to do. All three temptations were meant to confuse Him concerning His identity. If He did not have a firm grasp on who He was, He would be on shaky ground. Then the enemy would be able to derail His purpose in the earth.
Satan’s tactics haven’t changed a bit. If he can’t get you to believe his lies and doubt who you are in Christ, he will try to draw you away with the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things. He will try to get you to measure yourself by the world’s standards—by what you have or don’t have. I’ve seen so many good people who truly love God fall prey to this temptation, only to find themselves depressed, discouraged, empty, and unfulfilled. The Scriptures are clear that if your desire turns to riches instead of the Father of riches, you will err from the faith and pierce yourself through with many sorrows.
Nothing in this natural life brings happiness and contentment outside of a personal relationship with the Lord. The only true source of identity and sense of value is a loving relationship with the Creator, and He is the giver of material blessings that cannot be stolen. When our blessings come from Him, we are not in bondage to them. Our worldly possessions don’t possess us, and we don’t have to strive to keep them. He desires that we trust Him for all things and that we take our proper place within all of His creation—which is a position of godly power and authority, bringing peace and the word of reconciliation to others. As a Christian, you must make a clear decision to find your destiny and purpose as it is revealed in the Word—your new identity in Christ. All you are called to do is fulfilled when you go vertical to God as your exclusive source for everything in this life.
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:31-33)Jesus Christ never changed his strategy. He consistently demonstrated how to overcome the snare of the enemy. Every time He was assaulted, He simply responded with the Word of God: “For it is written… It is written... It is written.” This is how we overcome all trouble. We must be deeply rooted and grounded in the Word of God, always being prepared to give an answer to anyone—including the devil—of the hope that’s in us.
"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death." (Revelation 12:11)At the end of Jesus’ ministry (and the end of His physical life on earth) Satan was still attacking His identity by bringing the same accusation against Him at the cross:
"And saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” (Matthew 27:40) [Emphasis mine] This is profound. Satan’s attack on Jesus’ identity at the advent of His ministry was identical to the attack on Him at the end of it: “If you are the Son of God....”"Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” (Matthew 27:41-43) [Emphasis mine]Even the two criminals crucified next to him joined in the mockery!
"And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us." (Luke 23:39 KJV) [Emphasis mine]Satan brought a direct assault on Jesus’ identity first through the people who passed by, then through the priests with the scribes and elders, and eventually through one of the thieves. Satan tried to get Jesus to doubt who He was and to back out on the call on His life to save mankind. Satan literally worked on Him until Jesus said, “It is finished” and drew His last breath. And because Satan knows that your understanding of your identification with Christ is the key to you fulfilling your destiny, he will relentlessly attempt to derail you through the same deceptions...until you, too, draw your last breath in this earth. Satan’s practice and trusted method of identity theft proved fruitless against Jesus. He remained certain, assured, and steadfast in His identity, securing His destiny and purpose.
The truth is, Jesus was on the cross because of who He is. He is the Son of God who was sent to redeem the sons of Adam from a life of sin and death, and He fulfilled that purpose to the glory of God. It’s important you see that everything Jesus did came directly from His revelation of who He is and His acknowledgement that the devil would not let up the fight against Him. Satan will never back off from accusing you either. Unless you know who you are, what you have, and what you can do in Christ, you’ll never fulfill God’s will and plan for your life. You are a new creation, and as that new creation existing in union with Him, you’re not only blessed, but you become a blessing to all you come in contact with. Satan does not want that to happen.
Our Primary Purpose
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." (Romans 8:28-30 KJV) [Emphasis mine]It’s sad there has been so much misunderstanding of this scripture. Even worse are the abuses from many in church leadership who have kept people in bondage to lack and defeat all their lives. I digress a little here because without a clear understanding of what the sovereignty of God is, you also could fall prey to the same hardships. God isn’t sitting in the heavenlies, throwing switches, and pushing buttons to make everything happen in the earth. He is absolutely in control, but He is not controlling everything.
Sovereignty literally means self-governed. From God’s point of view, that means He has established the baseline of truth to which He holds Himself accountable. He has set laws in motion, and He has given man dominion in the earth. He has made the will of His heart known. God never does bad things to people in order to make something good come out of it. If He did, He would be in violation of His own Word that says:"
Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." (Romans 13:10)God is love, and for Him to hurt or harm someone to bring good out of it defies the very nature of who He is. Evil things happen to all of us in this life, but the Scriptures say our heavenly Father cannot precipitate that evil:"
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone." (James 1:13) "Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." (James 1:16-17)"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)Bad things happen to good people all the time, and if God was truly responsible for it, that would mean He is doing bad things to Himself continually (since you are His body). That doesn’t even make “good Oklahoma sense!”
The truth of the matter is that God is continually taking all the bad, all the hurt, and all the pain that the devil (directly or indirectly through this fallen world) has afflicted you with, and He is working every single bit of it (even our stumblings and mistakes) for our good. He does this all because we love Him and are indeed called according to His purpose. Then, because God is really good that way, He tells you exactly what that purpose is: to be conformed to the image of His Son.
Every single human on this earth was created by God and predestined to be conformed to the image of Jesus. Some choose wisely, others not so much, but the negative part is not on God’s end. Every individual person has the right to choose to fulfill (or not fulfill) the divine destiny that God has given.
"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9) [Emphasis mine]"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:3-4) KJV
Don’t ever let anyone convince you that God predestines certain people for heaven and others for hell! You can clearly see from the Scriptures that God foreknew you in your mother’s womb, and He has always desired goodness for you. He has always been wooing you to Himself and sending messages about His Love for you. He has been crying out, “This is who you are in My Son Jesus! I made a way for you!” The predestination that the Scriptures refer to is the destiny of being conformed and transformed into the image of Christ. Hell was not created for people, but rather Satan and his demons (Matthew 25:41).Isaiah said that hell had enlarged its mouth to receive the wicked (Isaiah 5:14). The explanation for this is that hell had to enlarge its mouth because God didn’t will for anyone to go there. He created it just large enough for Satan and all renegade spirits. God does not send anyone to hell. Rather, people choose to go there by rejecting God’s gift of eternal life. While God will honor your choice to go, He has made a way so no one has to go. That way is Jesus and the work of the cross and the resurrection from death.
Look again at Paul’s statement in Romans 8:28-30. God never said that all things are good or that all things were of God. What He did say was:"…All things work together for good to them that love God [not everyone loves God], to them who are called according to His purpose [not our own purpose, whether in ignorance or in rebellion to God].Then, Paul ties God’s purpose into the true meaning of predestination (being conformed to the image of His Son). God’s plan and purpose is not based on the things that happen to us. It’s based on the fact that if we love God, then we are “called according to His purpose.” With this standard of truth, we can all know that God will work all of the bad things that happen in this life together for our good. This is spiritual formation (Christ-likeness). Paul never intended to make predestination a matter of heaven or hell, and unfortunately, many people have come to a narrow belief that that’s all there is. We will either be burning in a devil’s hell for eternity or singing forever around the throne in heaven. I personally hope that’s not all there is to eternity because standing around and singing forever isn’t really comforting to me.
What I do know for certain is that God is a God of destiny and purpose, and a God of work and righteous judgment. He’s a God who will forever be creating and expanding the new heaven and new earth that we’ll be residing in long after this world has come to an end. This life is simply the training and proving ground for the next step in life with Him.
Simply put, predestination on God’s part is that all be saved, and through salvation, we’ll be conformed into the image of His dear Son. We know this because God is a good God and wants only good for everyone."
I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live…." (Deuteronomy 30:19)God doesn’t will harm or bad for anyone, but He has given us all a choice. Because of poor lifestyle choices, people personally suffer and create suffering for others. This is the scriptural principle of sowing and reaping. Even though God wants only good for us, He does not necessarily wipe away the consequences of our poor decisions or the poor decisions of others. Ultimately, God’s primary purpose for us is that we be Christ-like and that we make decisions rooted in our new identity and in His Word. That journey begins with your identification with Christ. As the Holy Spirit reveals to you who you really are, and guides you toward better lifestyle choices, He will transform your life."…that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus." (Philemon 1:6)How can you acknowledge the good in you in Christ if you don’t know it? How can your faith be effectual or working for you if you don’t know the good that’s in you in Christ? As you read the New Testament and see all the declarations of who you are, listen for Jesus to say, “That’s you!” In discovering your new identity, you will fulfill your primary purpose—being conformed to the image of God’s Son. In, you will overflow into what I refer to as your secondary purpose—filling the position and station God has called you to fulfill in this life.
That purpose may be fluid, changing from one step to another as you go through different seasons of maturing in life. But your spiritual transformation into the image of Christ is always the primary goal. What you do for a vocation is secondary (coach, teacher, truck driver, mom, singer, you name it!).Discovering and fulfilling your purpose is vital to leading a fruitful life full of happiness and joy. When you know that you’re on the pathway of God’s purpose, all of life is good. Contrary to that, when you’re not on that path, nothing in life seems to be good. What I want you to see in all this is that developing and walking in the purpose of God is really more about the journey than about the destination. We will all eventually come to the unity of the faith. For now, we are all most definitely a work in progress, but we can still enjoy the discovery of our future and the recovery of our new identity in Jesus.
"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…." (Ephesians 4:11-13 KJV) [Emphasis mine]You must keep in mind that in our current earthly state, we see through a glass darkly. None of us have “arrived.” The key to a successful life in Christ is not in the arriving, but in first just leaving—leaving the old life, the old man, the old identity. Untie your ship from the dock and start heading toward that destination where you will know the fullness of God’s desire for you.
At Jesus’ return, we will know Him face to face and come to that perfect revelation of Him. In the meantime, we simply need to continually press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
All believers have the same primary purpose: to be conformed to the image of Christ and fill the earth with His glory. All believers also have a secondary purpose, which is to fulfill the specific call of God on your life. My secondary purpose is to oversee and pastor Victory Life Church, sharing Jesus with a hurting generation. I was born and designed by God to do what I do—pastor and teach. How I perceive and work out my primary purpose (being conformed to Christ’s image) directly affects the fruit of my secondary purpose (pastor/teacher). Whether you’re a teacher, coach, accountant, evangelist, prophet, mechanic, business owner, or circus performer, if you miss your primary purpose, your secondary purpose will never evolve into all God ordained it to be.
Being conformed into Christ’s image is the key to your secondary purpose. And that all begins with a revelation of who you are as a born-again believer, as God’s kid, as a whole new creation, as more than a conqueror. Determine to receive this revelation and then go forth and conquer!
A Different Attitude
“These things I have spoken to you, [God’s word] that in Me [new identification] you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) [Emphasis and brackets mine]You can be happy and of “good cheer.” In Christ, your identity is that of an overcomer. I am so passionate about this—I want to shout this at you! I shout it at myself! I am an overcomer, not overcome. I am more than a conqueror through Him that loved me. Everything within me screams, “I am a victor, not a victim!” I will rejoice, and I will go through life with the attitude of a winner.
We all should have this good attitude. We all should have positive expectations because right here and right now, in everyday life, we are victorious in Christ.
Your new identity in Christ trumps your old identity in Adam hands down! The identity theft perpetrated on Adam in the garden and passed down to us all has been gloriously reversed in Jesus. My new identity in Christ is awesome and the source of all the good in my life. Thank you, Jesus!
