Guest Post by Kevin Dedmon.
In two recent blogs, Daydreaming A Destiny & What If, I discussed the benefits of dreaming, and dreaming big. In this blog, I want to discuss the journey from a dream to a destiny.
Most of us are familiar with the infamous 1988 Nike ad campaign encouraging people to “JUST DO IT.” Research of buyer demographics revealed that many people bought Nike products in response to the slogan because they felt that wearing the clothing and shoes helped them accomplish more, even if they were not playing sports. There was an emotional lift to dream bigger and attempt to accomplish greatness.
Many people dream about doing something big in their life, but unfortunately, few actually follow their dreams and enter into their destiny.
Most of us did not dream of doing life the way we are now — we just sort of landed in it, unintentionally diverted from, and falling short, of the dreams that once seemed so Divine.
And it’s not just people who started with little that ended with little.
How many people have won millions in the lottery, only to become bankrupt and brokenhearted?
How many childhood prodigies never realized their potential to excel in sports, music, or acting?
How many children have inherited family fame and fortune, only to waste it away?
Statistics show that Valedictorians do not normally become visionary entrepreneurs who make history through innovative ideas and high-risk ventures. They are often good at complying with the rules and expectations, but lack the desire to drive beyond the boundaries of existing expectation.
Just because we have all of the resources and backing of Heaven inside of us doesn’t mean that we will live in a way that fulfills our prophetic potential.
The good news, however, is that we are never stuck without any possibility for advancement into our destiny. We can always decide to do something to further our progress. We can “JUST DO IT” whenever we want.
INTENTIONAL LIVING
Our destiny is not just a destination; it is a journey — an adventure into possibilities, potential, and promise.
Importantly, our destiny is fulfilled over a lifetime — a lifetime of daily choices.
Living intentionally is key to fulfilling our destiny.
Jesus lived intentionally. He only did what His Father did (John 5:19,20).
Moreover, no one took Jesus’ life — He laid it down willingly (John 10:18). He made daily intentional decisions to do His destiny.
There are a lot of good things to do in our lifetime, but the key to fulfilling our destiny is discovering, designing, and doing the God things.
Jesus was not ruled by the unimportant urgent or unimportant non-urgent — He solely focused His attention on the important urgent and important non-urgent. He was not distracted by anything that would deter Him from His destiny.
Vision aids us in focusing on our destiny.
Solomon warned: “Where there is no vision, people cast off restraint (Proverbs 29:18).”
In other words, it’s hard to stay disciplined and motivated when there is no clear mission and purpose in life.
Jesus was able to fulfill His destiny because He had a vision.
Before we can “JUST DO IT,” living intentionally, we must have a vision for our destiny.
THE IT FACTOR
Before we can live intentionally, we must know what the “It” is that we want to fulfill.
If we aim at nothing, we will most likely hit nothing. To hit a target, we must have an aim before we shoot.
Before Jesus came from Heaven to earth, He took aim at what He wanted to accomplish.
For this reason Jesus came; to destroy the work of the devil (1 John 3:8).
Jesus came to serve, and give His life as a ransom (Mark 10:45).
Hanging on the cross at the end of His life, Jesus declared, “It is finished (John 19:30).”
What was the “It” that was completed?
Jesus finished all of the work that the Father had commissioned Him to accomplish. He fulfilled all of the work required to accomplish salvation for us, and expand the Kingdom of God through us. He hit the mark, the “It,” and fulfilled His destiny.
Once the “It” is discovered, then, it is a matter of developing an intentional strategy to do the “It.”
THE ANATOMY OF A VISION
While our destiny can be fulfilled in our lifetime, it is the process that determines how far we enter into our destiny, fulfilling the “It.”
I would describe the process as:
- Discovering our Destiny
- Designing our Destiny
- Doing our Destiny
DISCOVERING THE WHAT, WHY, HOW, AND WHERE OF OUR
DESTINY
The "what" is our mission.
Our mission statement should be:
Memorable — a worthwhile pursuit
Repeatable — easy to remember
Impossible — requiring supernatural empowerment to accomplish
Jesus’ mission was to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).
The "why" is our purpose.
Our purpose statement should reflect the:
Reason for fulfilling our mission
Motivation for fulfilling our mission
Jesus’ purpose was that all would be saved and restored to the Father (Romans 5:10; Colossians 1:20).
The "how is our core values.
Our core values should resonate the:
Beliefs that drive us to fulfilling our mission
Practices that demonstrate the way we will fulfill our mission
Characteristics that define our conduct in fulfilling our mission
Jesus’ core values reflected love, joy, signs and wonders, miracles, healing, prophetic insight and encouragement, equipping, empowering, and activating people into their destiny as world changers (John 15:13; Hebrews 1:9; Matthew 4:23-25; John 4:1-42; Matthew 11:1; John 20:21-23; Acts 1:8).
The "where" is our core responsibilities.
Our core responsibilities include:
- God
- Marriage
- Family
- Self
- Work
- Ministry
- Chores/Tasks
- Rest/Recreation
Jesus’ core values where expressed in every area of His life, wherever He went, whatever He did — whether He was healing the sick, preaching, at a party, or serving with a towel.
In order to “JUST DO IT,” our mission, purpose, and core values must be accomplished within every area of our life.
DESIGNING THE GOALS AND STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE OUR
DESTINY
We must set goals in each of the 8 categories of our core responsibilities.
Our goals must be:
- Attainable
- Measurable
- Accountable
We must have a specific strategy for each of the goals we set.
Our strategies must include:
- Resources needed
- Education needed
- Partners needed
- Priority needed
- Action needed
Jesus had specific goals and strategies to accomplish His destiny. He had an intentional plan to fulfill His mission and purpose. Every day, Jesus worked on the goal of going to the cross, and demonstrating the Good News through signs and wonders, miracles, healing, the prophetic, teaching, preaching, and discipleship.
DOING THE WORK IN A SCHEDULED WAY SO AS TO FULFILL OUR
DESTINY
Fulfilling the “It” requires:
Scheduling a time frame for which the strategies will be implemented and the goal completed.
Scheduling daily activities to activate our strategies and accomplish our goals.
Working hard to overcome challenges, obstacles, and disappointments.
Working smart to give our strength to the things that matter.
Teamwork that provides support and accountability.
Getting from our dream to our destiny requires focused direction and determination.
Jesus continually worked hard to accomplish His destiny in a scheduled, intentional, way with the Father and Holy Spirit’s help (John 5:17, 12:23, 13:1, 14:31, 16:28, 18:4, 19:28).
I want to encourage you to dream big and begin doing your destiny today, living intentionally in every area of your life.
Here are some simple steps to get you going:
1. Collect and categorize all of the dreams, visions, prophetic words, scriptures, and desires that factor into your Divine destiny.
2. Form your mission, purpose, and core value statements.
3. Set one goal in each core responsibility.
4. Develop a strategy and schedule to fulfill it.
5. Share it with someone who will encourage you to start doing it.
6. Celebrate each small victory.
As you JUST DO IT, it won’t be long until you begin to see the first fruits of your destiny being fulfilled.
Has this blog helped you transition from your dream to destiny? Tell me about it in the comments below. Remember to pass this blog along to your friends, so that they can JUST DO IT.
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Kevin Dedmon has been in pastoral ministry for over 30 years and has a B.A. in Biblical Studies and a M.A. degree in Church Leadership from Vanguard University. Kevin conducts Supernatural Lifestyle Conferences worldwide in which people are equipped, empowered, and activated in miracles, healing, and prophetic as a normal lifestyle of the believer.
He also teaches revival Kingdom theology in the School of Supernatural Ministry and trains new believers and new members in a revival supernatural lifestyle in his Firstarters class at Bethel Church.
Kevin has also authored the following books: The Ultimate Treasure Hunt, Unlocking Heaven: Keys to Living Naturally Supernatural, The Risk Factor, T.N.T., Firestarter curriculum, and HomeFire curriculum.
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