Men On Fire By Stephen MansfieldSample

Stephen Mansfield: Men on Fire Devotional Day 3

“The Fire of Destiny”

Scripture reading: Psalm 139:13-16

You likely already know you have a destiny. Most men do. They have sensed it nearly all their lives. It is an awareness that stirs in them. It is as though there is a voice ever whispering, “You are made for something more.” It is a growing certainty of a purpose. A prior design. Gifts have been given. Experiences have been orchestrated. It is all about work that is to be done, an impact that is to be made.

We sense that this is true, but we often feel we live beneath it. This is because we do. Yet this is the greatest confirmation that a destiny exists for us: the grief we feel when we live small and immoral lives and the disappointment we feel when we settle for less. 

That there is a destiny set for our lives is great news. It explains much that has troubled us as men: Why am I uniquely made, so different from the crowd? Because I am made for a purpose, and all my uniqueness, once tempered, will help to bring it about. Why can I never settle, never be fully satisfied in any one phase of life? I believe it’s because destiny refuses to leave me alone. Destiny calls us on—to more, to greater, to deeper, to all that still awaits.

It was God who chose and crafted and determined purposes for us long before we were made. Walking out destiny, then, is a matter of synchronizing with God in the fulfilling of his purposes for our lives. This is the grand adventure we are called to as men. “We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10).

You likely sense that there is a purpose for your life. You may even be able to look back over your days and see the patterns of providence in your life: the serendipitous moments and the deliverances and the turning points that no man could have engineered. These are signposts for you. They are evidence that God has been at work. What is important is that you are willing to accept God’s claim on your life and you are willing to pay the price to live out the grand adventure of your destiny.

Are you willing to believe that you have a God-given purpose and then fight for it? Are you willing to allow your life to be defined by a fire of destiny burning in your soul?