Paying the Price of Your Destiny

Paying the Price of Your Destiny | FromHisPresence.comDear Presence seekers, I’ll tell you right up front that this might be a topic that is hard to face; challenging to think about. But if you desire to walk in your destiny, I pray you will read it anyway. It’s about paying the price to walk in God’s call on your life–your destiny.

Here’s the thing about destiny:

  • Destiny doesn’t look like you waking up one morning and someone suddenly calling on you to do your thing, out of nowhere.
  • Destiny doesn’t look like sudden success to anybody except people who don’t know you or have never seen you before.
  • Destiny doesn’t look like someone suddenly taking notice of your natural gift, and voilà, God opens a door for you.

It doesn’t work like that. There’s not going to be a moment when, out of nowhere, God blasts you to stardom. Opportunity is not going to knock all of a sudden, and Ed McMahon is not coming.

(For my international friends: The late Ed McMahon was famous for promoting a publishing & sweepstakes company. He was in television commercials in which he and others from the publishing company would show up unannounced at people’s doors, carrying big checks for large amounts of money.)

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    Here’s what destiny does look like:

    • Destiny looks like your butt in the chair at 5 AM, doing the work.
    • Destiny looks like hours behind your piano, guitar, violin, whatever, honing and practicing and perfecting your craft.
    • Destiny looks like saying no to lots of dinner dates, nights out, movies that you could have watched, so you can #dothework.
    • Destiny looks like going for a walk when you’d rather sit.

    Destiny looks like a million tiny choices that only appear to impact that moment–but in reality, each choice is a deposit in the bank account of Your Destiny.

    And the biggest thing destiny looks like is STARTING NOW.

    Nothing will ever happen if you don’t start. And when I say ever, I mean everEver, ever, ever. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zero.

    And “sometime” doesn’t count. “Sometime” in reality translates to “no time,” for it’s always at some distant, and unknown, point in the future. Nothing happens for those who will start sometime.

    Destiny only happens for those who decide they are starting NOW.

    Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither can your destiny be built in a day. It will take time, and progress may seem slow for awhile. But the most important thing is to start, and to do one thing each day.

    Your one thing can be simple. Tiny, even. For example:

    • It can be making one phone call.
    • Filling out one college application.
    • Writing one paragraph on that book.
    • Spending 10 minutes perfecting one line of lyrics for that one song.

    One thing a day is just fine. If you do just one thing a day, then in one month–two months, ten months, one year–you will be so much further along that your life will look unrecognizable. Simply because you started. Opportunities WILL knock–not out of nowhere, but:

    • out of a hundred 5 AM work sessions.
    • Out of a hundred bodybuilding workouts.
    • Out of a hundred versions of that chorus you wrote.

    Opportunity does knock, and suddenlies do happen. But they don’t happen out of nowhere. They only look like they do because nobody sees what you’re doing behind the scenes–the hours in the gym, the hours with the piano, the hours of writing 500 words at a time.

    I understand that sometimes you may have an off day.

    Some days you might be so exhausted that your body just needs you to crash on the couch and snore away, so you can get some rest. I get that.

    Some days–most often on Fridays–I am just beyond tired. Wiped. Tuckered out. Finis. Nothing left. I work really hard every day, including Saturday and Sunday, and often by the time Friday rolls around, I crash.

    But that’s okay. I earn it. I’ve been working a massive amount, and I don’t mind crashing. The principle of rest is an essential Biblical principle. I’m not saying you shouldn’t rest; you must rest. Rest reinvigorates, re-energizes, and heals your body, soul (mind + will + emotions), and spirit.

    But beloved, your destiny isn’t going to happen unless you make it happen.

    We Christians get too much into this “God will promote me” thing. It’s true that promotion comes from God. Psalm 75 says so; and you can pray this Biblical prayer for promotion here; it’s powerful.

    But we tend to forget the parallel truths:

    • that it’s the plans of the diligent that prosper (Proverbs 21:5);
    • that we should be diligent to make our calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10);
    • that we should study to show ourselves approved unto God, workmen and workwomen that do not need to be ashamed (2 Timothy 2:15); and
    • that the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force (Matthew 11:12).

    Both are true.

    It’s also true that we have to be sensitive to God about what to do when.

    Has God specifically told you to work hard at what you’re already doing right now, and not to try to start a side thing or pursue another calling? Awesome. Be diligent at whatever you’re doing; take care of your finances; and do everything you can to get into a stable and prosperous place where you are.

    Then ask Papa what’s next.

    But equally true is the fact that if God has laid anything on your heart that you’re NOT already doing, it’s. not. going. to. happen. unless. you. start.

    And unless you’re willing to pay the price.

    Because, beloved, there is always a price to be paid for your destiny. And destiny starts as soon as, and not until, you decide to start paying the price.

    And your progress toward your destiny is directly proportionate to:

    • when you pay the price;
    • how consistently you pay the price;
    • and how much of the price you are willing to pay.

    There is a price to be paid.

    A price of sweat. A price of labor. A price of sacrificing things that are only now in order to gain things that are forever.

    It works the same whether you’re pursuing intimacy with God, a ministry or calling of some sort; an education; or even building a business. Same thing.

    And if you will not DECIDE to start paying the price, you will not see progress. But you WILL see progress–measurable, beautiful, oh-so-encouraging progress–as soon as you decide to start.

    Then start again tomorrow. And the next day. And the day after that. One lift at a time. One rep at a time. One glorious bead of sweat at a time. One butt-in-chair-at-5-AM session at a time.

    You can do it. This is your wake-up call.

    Are you willing to start paying the price today?

    I’m praying earnestly for 1,000 partners who will help me in my work of being a domestic missionary. Is Papa calling you? Find out why, how, and what’s in it for you here.

    14 Comments

    1. Laurna Tallman says:

      Hi, Jamie,
      You have a physical emphasis here that is possible only for some people like you who can run actual marathons. I have never had that kind of strength. While I have stayed up late and arisen early, worked through the night, and otherwise burned the candle at both ends, what I could do in youth did not work for the long haul, especially during the eight years when I had chronic fatigue syndrome. I learned to use what strength I have by spending the first hour of my alert-and- ready-to-go day in prayer. Gradually, that discipline turned into a constant attention to God that would carry through the entire day. I married late, so by the time I had all the complications of babies and growing children that disciplined attention to God kept my focus even when I could not carve out of my day the same kind of time for quiet attention. That hour might be followed during the day by other hours of ministry and prayer, but they do not replace private time with God. Another discipline was obedience: doing what I felt prompted to do by the Holy Spirit without delay. God often asks us to do difficult, embarrassing, uncomfortably new things. When learning discernment you often have to stand against the current of what society in general or even your church or prayer group is doing. Challenging people and dealing with the consequences can be very painful. Taking up your cross daily seems easier sometimes than others but if you have not figured out what your cross is–which comes through prayer and obedience–you are missing an essential element of what it means to follow Jesus. We may not all be able to run literal marathons, but we can run the race God has prepared for us and that God is preparing us for.

      1. No physical emphasis was intended, Laurna. Everybody’s price will look different. The references to sweat and gym workouts are only examples. I agree with you that our first call is to follow Jesus. It’s in that secret place of His presence, through prayer and His Word and through hearing His voice, that we come to understand how and when and in what manner He wants us to put our hands to the plow. We don’t disagree. 🙂

      2. Sue Tracy says:

        Thanks sooo much, I want to be a woman who prays for others and waits for what God has for each of us, his way is the only way for me!!

    2. Dear Jamie, be blessed with your advice. I pray for the grace of God to give me the ego to stand up to work for my destiny to be fulfilled. Conditions and circumstances make me procrastinate. Your message today is teaching me to start now whatever the situation is. I only need Papa God to give me the strength and passion to do it.

      May Papa bless you and give you more anointing to the glory of his name,

    3. Angela Bley says:

      Jamie,
      Once again outstanding post! I have one question. How did you get in my head? Wow! These are things I have soul searching on and you just gave me further clarity!
      I gotta say, your blog just keeps getting better and better! It definitely shows you are gifted and anointed!
      Thank you for speaking into the lives of your readers!
      I pray more blessings, wisdom, discernment, downloading and enlightenment to come to you!,
      Shalom.

    4. Great article Jamie. God bless you for sharing this. Even after publishing 3 books geared towards evangelism in the fiction genre, I am sure there is more that I can do to contribute to expanding the Kingdom of our Heavenly Father. As I am working on my sixth manuscript, your article is challenging me to more discipline, more action, more focus on the work that the Holy Spirit is calling me for. Thank you for the prompting.
      If you would like to check out the books it’s http://www.htdesouza.com.
      Blessings to you
      Henri T.

    5. Rafael Somma says:

      I went into a tantrum today and I destroyed a lot of things in my house and I felt a relief. I’ve had enough because I had to decline a job that I was offered because the job didn’t simply match my personality. I don’t know if it’s the enemy controlling me, but I’m on a path of destruction. I would like to hurt my ex-girlfriend (not physically), but psychologically because she destroyed me and my life. I’m tired of all that religious stuff, I don’t get the impression that things will work well, I started to hate my ex with passion and I hope that the Lord will destroy her on my behalf.

      1. Rafael, you’re not on a path of destruction unless you choose it. God sets before you this day life and death. Choose life. It’s your choice, brother. I have been praying for you.

        1. Rafael Somma says:

          Thank you Jamie, it helps. I have a very complex personality.

          1. Rafael Somma says:

            I have a question for you Jamie. Do you think that the Lord has already chosen the woman I will marry one day?

            1. I think He has someone in mind for you. That being said, you can always wait for His plan or pick your own plan. His plan will be best. And you walk in His plan by seeking Him first and trusting Him to bring her to you in His right time. And until then, put all your time and effort into seeking Him so that you can be a godly man, so you will be the kind of man the wife you want would want to marry. Make sense? And you can pray for her too. Pray for her now, even though you don’t know who she will be yet. She’s certainly alive on the planet. So pray for her as if you already knew her. I prayed for my husband years before we were married, and he is a very godly man. I’m so glad I prayed.

    6. Anna Walker says:

      Thanks so much for your article! It was well-timed for me.

      Fulfilling my Destiny is one of my themes for the upcoming year. I honestly have been praying for years that God would “open a door.” While I do the work, two key words stuck out- diligent and consistent. These are two areas I must work on. It also helped me realize, there are typically no “suddenlies”, which I have expected from God, unless He chooses.

      I sincerely appreciate your candor, truth, wisdom and love.

      Many Blessings,
      Anna

    7. Thank you for sharing this. It is so true! God works supernaturally in our lives, but we have to obey when He says to put our hands to the plow! So good. 🙂

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