Dharius Daniels - I'm Going Somewhere

We’re in a series of sermons on the Book of Proverbs called «I’m Too Smart for This.» It is about shifting from earthly wisdom to godly wisdom. Our mission as a church is to help as many people as possible live lovingly like Jesus. Jesus was a person who grew, as stated in Luke 2:52, «He grew in wisdom.» So we want to grow in wisdom as well. Let’s look at Proverbs 4:26, where Solomon says, «Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.» I want to pause the reading of the scripture and discuss this subject during our time together. Family, I hope this is your testimony: «I’m going somewhere.»

To begin this sermon, I want to share a quote I recently came across. I read it, and it stood out to me. My prayer is that it will add value to you. The quote is as follows: «We make our choices, but then our choices make us. We are born looking like our parents, but we die looking like our decisions.» Throughout scripture, we see evidence that suggests decisions are not only important—listen to your pastor—but decisions are destiny determinants. In other words, the decisions we make are the steps we take that either bring us closer to or further away from our God-ordained destiny. So decisions aren’t just about choices; they are about destiny. They provide my opportunity to choose what God has chosen for me. Somebody say «destiny.»

Destiny is a word that is often used but rarely explained. Many seem to confuse and conflate purpose and destiny. Even though purpose and destiny are similar, they are not the same. Purpose is the reason for the creation or existence of a thing; it is my «what» and my «why,» whereas destiny is my «where.» In other words, purpose explains why I’ve been created and what I’ve been created to do, but destiny indicates where I will end up if I do it. A biblical example of this is an individual in the Old Testament named Joseph, whom God gifted with the ability to see certain things before they would happen—prophetic gifting. He was also gifted with the intuition regarding what to do with what he saw, because it’s one thing to see something and another to know what to do with it. It’s one thing to have discernment regarding a relationship or an individual, but I need more than discernment; I need wisdom. Wisdom helps me know what to do with what I saw, because I can perceive the right thing and respond to what I see the wrong way.

Joseph had this gift to see things that others couldn’t but also the wisdom to know what to do with what he saw. God wanted him to use those gifts to save his people, ultimately saving what we know as the Seed of Abraham—the family of God. That was Joseph’s «what» and «why.» He was born to see things that others couldn’t and to do things with what he saw that others couldn’t do, to help people that others couldn’t help. That was his purpose. His purpose led him to a place called Egypt, where he was second in command to a governmental leader named Pharaoh. So seeing things and knowing what to do with them was his purpose, but ending up in Egypt, sitting in a position of authority as the second in command under Pharaoh, was his destiny. His purpose led him to his destiny.

I’m wondering why there isn’t more enthusiasm and excitement—maybe it’s because we assume Joseph is the only one with an Egypt. Just in case you need reminding or encouragement, you have an Egypt too. There is a place that God has ordained for you. Now, I don’t know where your Egypt is, what it’s like, or when you will get there, but I do know you will arrive right on time. When will it happen? On time. When will the door open? On time. Therefore, family, if I’m serious about my destiny, I must also be serious about my decisions because my decisions actually impact my destiny. If I’m serious about my destiny, I need to treat my decisions with the seriousness they deserve because my choices are what truly impact my destiny. If I don’t want anyone else in control of my destiny, then I cannot allow anyone to have control over my decisions, because my decisions impact my destiny.

Interestingly, some decisions that impact destiny don’t look or feel like they are significant. So I need to treat all my decisions as if they impact destiny, because I don’t know which decision will ultimately impact my destiny. Let’s consider our biblical character, Joseph. When did Joseph choose to become second in command in Egypt? He didn’t; he chose to run away from Potiphar’s wife. When he chose to flee from her, he was choosing Egypt. Even when he was unjustly accused and falsely imprisoned, dealing with a butler and a baker, he was treated unjustly.