Sheryl Brady - Disruptions On The Road to Destiny

On your way down, tell your neighbor about the disruptions on the road to destiny. Destiny is one of those words, one of the church terms we hear quite often. We’ve been hearing about it for several years: «I have a destiny, you have a destiny, and we must reach our destiny.» All of those wonderful things we hear about destiny are uplifting, but what we don’t often hear is that destiny can be, and often is, disrupted. Just because you have a destiny does not guarantee that you will arrive at your destination. How many times have you left your house destined for one place, only to find out at the end of the day that you never made it there because several disruptions occurred throughout the day? Even though it was your destiny, you never got there. I want to help us understand this because sometimes I feel like church people think, «I’ve got a destiny, and it’s going to happen in spite of me.» That is not the case. Destiny does not happen in spite of us; it happens because of us. It occurs when we submit ourselves to the plan that God has laid out and our feet find their firmness on the road toward that destination. Destinies can be frustrated by disruptions, and often people are quick to find someone to blame for their disruptions. «Yes, Pastor, I should have never married him! If I hadn’t, my life wouldn’t be such a big disruption.» «Lord, when I… oh my, I knew that hot button was there!» Yes, he is a disrupter. Will you all help me thank God for our Bishop? He disrupts us, but it’s good; he keeps us on our toes. Perfect timing, babe! Then someone might say, «Yeah, I married that person; I should have never married them. I know I would be better off today had I not chosen them. If I’d just gone in a completely opposite direction or not had that baby out of wedlock, I would be better off today. I know that has been nothing but a deterrent to my destination and my destiny.» But I want to tell you; all of the deterrents, distractions, and disruptions we face on our road to destiny are not all external to us; most of them are internal. Okay, look at your neighbor and say, «You are your own distraction,» and you owe it to yourself to stop lying to yourself. You owe it to yourself to stop blaming everyone around you and start examining yourself so you can finally understand why it is that when you take three steps forward in your destiny, you end up taking two steps backward. Look at someone and tell them to stop it now. Don’t wait another day; stop it now. In our text, the Apostle Paul concludes the famous love chapter, First Corinthians 13. He wraps it up with the words we read today: «When I was a child, I spoke like a child; I understood like a child; I thought like a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things.» «When I became a man» means not just male growth but maturity. Ladies, you’re not off the hook today; I’m coming for you too! When I matured, when I grew up, and when I became what God had destined for me, I put away childish things. This word is about development, evolution, growth, and reaching the place you strive to attain. It’s about arriving at a destination. Now, destiny means a predetermined futuristic course of events designed to happen to a person or thing. Essentially, this means there are specific pieces in the puzzle of your life that God orchestrates to come together at the right time, place, and moment. When you get there, those pieces fit together perfectly because of something called destiny. What that means is that God is not only preparing you but is also getting everything in your world ready for you. He’s getting your world prepared while He’s getting you prepared. Do you understand? When Bishop Jakes called and said, «I want you and your family to come and build a church in North Dallas, ” it wasn’t just about me being ready; it was about my family needing to be ready. I don’t care how prepared you are; if your family is not ready, it doesn’t matter. It takes all of us. It wasn’t just the Bradys; God had people all over North Dallas who were ready for something new. They were ready for something different. They might have been in their homes or sitting in another church, but when they heard that The Potter’s House North was coming to Dallas or Frisco, they began to move because God had already been preparing their hearts. Are you following me? God will get you ready.