You Were Born To Win!

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When God formed you, He placed in you all of the necessary giftings, callings and talents you would ever need to fulfill His glorious plan for your life. He did not create you to sputter in life, stall, fall short or to abort your mission.

Why do so many fail to fulfill their God-ordained destiny? Keep reading…

It Was One of The Worst Deals of My Life!
Years ago I went to an auto auction and purchased a vehicle that appeared to be a great deal while I was bidding on it. After winning the bid, I paid the cashier, jumped into my car and drove no more than a quarter of a mile before I realized what a major mistake I had just made. The brakes squealed terribly and the clutch was dragging, but since I had bought it “as is,” I was stuck. On the drive home, I contemplated my next course of action.

If I tried to sale the car, I was not going to recoup my money. I decided to take it to a mechanic to get estimates on the repair costs. To my horror, the brakes and clutch were not the only problems. The next morning there was a puddle of oil sitting under the engine. The air conditioning did not work and the sunroof and windshield leaked when it rained. The total repair costs far exceeded the price I paid for the vehicle. It was a hopeless no-win situation. Have you ever felt like that, like your life was utterly hopeless?

You Are Not Like That Car - You Were Chosen By God To Win!
Unfortunately, some people’s lives are just like that car, filled with problem after problem and letdown after letdown. You name it and most likely they have been through it: failed relationships, failed marriages, financial catastrophes, failed health, depression, bitter family feuds, frustration with life, underpaid, underemployed, confused, bitter at the world and mad at God. When the engineers designed that car, they did not design it to burn oil, leak water, backfire or to sputter along. God did not design you to be that way either. Pay close attention to God’s awesome blueprint for your life:

John 15:16 AMP [Emphasis added]
You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed you [I have planted you], that you might go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit may be lasting [that it may remain, abide], so that whatever you ask the Father in My Name [as presenting all that I AM], He may give it to you.

Notice that He says, you did not choose Him but rather, it was He, (the Lord God Almighty) Who chose you. He goes on to say, “…and I, (the Lord God Almighty) have appointed you [I have planted you]…” The King James Version of that same verse reads, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you…” To ordain means to conceive and to set in place. The Lord reveals why you were conceived and for what purpose He set you in place, “that you might go and bear fruit and keep on bearing fruit, and that your fruit may be lasting…”

It is the immutable will of God that you bear fruit and keep on bearing fruit and that your fruit remain. In other words, “You Were Born To Win!” Not only did the Lord choose you to bear fruit and keep on bearing fruit, He laid out the necessary plans for you to fulfill His vision for your life…

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Focus your attention on, “…I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord…” Drill this point into your brain. The only plans God recognizes concerning your life are His plans. He does not recognize your plans! He will not even glance at your plans for your life. Read that again because you do not want to end up like the mass number of individuals who venture through life not realizing they are ruining God’s glorious plans for their lives. They opt to carve out their own plans, and the net result: they end up working in fields in which they were never designed to work. They take jobs they were not suited for. They date people and get involved in relationships that are clearly dead-end, and they marry people with whom they were unequally yoked from the moment they said, “hello!”

How Most People Ruin God’s Glorious Plan For Their Life
Remember the worthless vehicle I purchased? Did God know that vehicle was a piece of junk? Sure He did! Did He warn me about that vehicle? I must admit, yes, He did! Was God trying to teach me a lesson using that pile of junk as His teaching tool? Absolutely not! So what happened? I made a mistake, missed His warning and as a result I made a bad decision. I need to define a mistake. A mistake is an error or fault resulting from defective judgment, deficient knowledge, or carelessness. It means to misinterpret, to understand wrongly, or to recognize or identify incorrectly.

Press pause and go back and read that again. Aside from committing outright rebellion, that is how most people ruin God’s glorious plans for their lives. They make bad decisions because their judgment is defective or they misinterpreted the facts. They act upon deficient knowledge or commit an act of carelessness. They have a wrong understanding of the situation or they recognize or identify a person or people incorrectly. What causes your judgment to be defective? What causes you to have deficient knowledge or to commit an act of carelessness? What causes you to misinterpret the facts or to wrongly understand the truth? There are seven primary reasons.

1. You Lack Godly Counsel, (See Proverbs 11:14, Proverbs 15:22)
When it comes to the major issues of life such as: love, sex, relationships, marriage, family matters, business, and career related moves, godly counsel must be your standard. Proverbs 11:14 says, “…in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” Time and time again, I have witnessed Christians make moves without godly counsel. As a result they sent their life into a downward spiral. I recall when a brother in Christ, (I’ll call McNair) married his high school sweetheart, (I’ll call her Miriam). They were both Christians. They attended the same the church. She was on the praise and worship team and he was on the ministry of helps team. On the surface they appeared to be two peas in a pod, but Miriam had a vicious mean streak. When she did not get her way, she turned McNair’s life into a living nightmare. After they married, he prayed, PRAYED and P-R-A-Y-E-D but Miriam’s heart was not set on obeying God.

She adamantly refused to attend marital or pastoral counseling. She denied having a problem even after she physically assaulted her husband. One night, in another one of her fits of rage, she told McNair she could kill him while he slept. After her terroristic death threat, he packed his bags and left with their little child. The couple divorced and McNair was granted full custody of their child with his ex-wife receiving visitation rights. For three years Miriam did not once attempt to see her child! When she found out her ex-husband had remarried, she quickly switched gears! She often showed up at his front door demanding that McNair allow her unannounced visitations. While Miriam sang on the praise and worship team, gave offerings, and went to Sunday school, she used their child as a weapon to drive a wedge between McNair and his new wife.

Was God trying to teach McNair some type of spiritual lesson through his obviously cantankerous ex-wife? A thousand times, NO! Was God trying to make McNair strong through the venomous Miriam? Once again, NO! Those are the types of statements made by babes in Christ and Believers who are unskilled in the Word of righteousness, (See Hebrews 5:12-14). When McNair contacted me seeking prayer and counseling on what to do, he explained how he and his ex-wife had a make-up, break-up relationship before they married. Their break-ups were always centered around her volatile temper, but McNair married her in spite of those clearly posted warning signs.

He had no idea, the Word of God commands us in Proverbs 22:24, to: “Make no friendship with an angry man (or woman) and with a furious man (or woman) thou shalt not go.” The bottom line: He should have never married Miriam. He violated the Word of God and made a friendship with an angry female. Get clear on this point - McNair did that! Not GOD! All of the pain his ex-wife caused him and is still causing him today, could have been avoided. McNair has admitted that had he received godly counsel and clearly understood the ramifications of Miriam’s vicious temper and nasty attitude, he would have never married her! In many cases, especially those related to finances, marriage, and family, once a bad decision has been made, you may have to suffer or live with the consequences for the rest of your life!

2. You Don’t Know or Follow God’s voice, (See John 10:3-5,27)
Not knowing and not following the Lord’s voice puts a person at a major disadvantage in life. When the Holy Spirit warns you, or attempts to lead you in a specific direction and you don’t know or fail to follow His voice, you will always miss the will of God. You need to know this critical point. The Lord will always warn you when you are about to make a bad decision that will prevent or hinder you from fulfilling His plan for your life.

Whether you know His voice or follow His voice is your responsibility. No one can know or follow God’s voice for you, not your husband, wife, pastor, friend, mother, father, or anyone else. You must know Him intimately for yourself. When I bought that car at the auction, I had heard God’s voice. He warned me not to bid on that car, but I was in such a rush to get another vehicle that I did not follow His voice. Ultimately I did not follow His plan for my life and I paid a big price.

3. You Allow Negative influences In Your Life, (See I Corinthians 15:33)
The Amplified Bible of I Corinthians 15:33 reads, “Do not be so deceived and misled! Evil companionships (communion, associations) corrupt and deprave good manners and morals and character.” When you allow people with negative influences, to remain in your life, they will eventually distort your judgment or corrupt your ability to hear and obey God. You are deceiving yourself if you think otherwise. The Written Word of God makes it plain; ungodly friendships and evil associations will cripple your walk with Christ and negatively affect your decision-making.

4. You Don’t Bind The Word of God in Your Heart, (See Proverbs 6:21-23)
There are certain things the Lord wants to reveal to you concerning His plans for your life. The only way He can do so is through the path of the Written Word of God. There are no substitutes. In Proverbs 6:22, the Lord reveals three things that happen as you bind the Word of God upon your heart; (a) the Word will lead you and guide you, (b) the Word will protect you while you sleep, and (c) the Word will talk to you when you awake from your sleep.

Think about that for a moment. God, through His Written Word, speaks directly to our hearts based on the Word we have sown in our hearts. There are three things the Lord cannot say to you or do for you if you have not sown His Word in your heart. (a) He cannot direct your path, (b) He cannot protect you while you sleep, and (c) He cannot speak to you when you are awake. When you fail or refuse to bind the Word of God in your heart, you completely thwart God’s plans for your life.

5. You Lead a Prayerless Life, (See I Corinthians 14:4-5,18 and Jude 20)
Prayer is to your heart, what maintenance is to a vehicle. With each oil change, tire rotation, brake pad change, tune-up, and engine inspection, you position your vehicle to run smoothly, and more efficiently, and to continue functioning properly. With regular preventive maintenance, you are able to catch minor issues before they turn into major mechanical problems or force you to experience a roadside emergency. People who make bad decisions almost always live prayerless lives.

They do not think about prayer until they are having an emergency. By that time, it is usually too late. The damage is already done. Consistent daily prayer should be a no-brainer. Prayer keeps your spiritual battery charged up, keeps you sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and prevents satan from obstructing or distorting your view of God’s glorious plans for your life.

6. You Live a Sinful Lifestyle, (See Isaiah 59:2, Psalm 66:18)
When you allow sin to remain in your life, you put up an impenetrable wall between you and the Lord. He cannot cross the sin barrier and neither can you. Sin causes God to hide His face from you and to renounce your prayers. Some Christians don’t want to believe that truth but it is just that, the Truth. It is the Truth of the Written Word of God revealed throughout the Scriptures. Your sin will separate you from God, (See Isaiah 64:7, Exodus 33:3, Judges 16:15-21 and John 9:31).

7. You Don’t Know Your God-Given Purpose (II Timothy 1:9)
Myles Munroe made a profound statement years ago when he said, “Where purpose is not known abuse is inevitable.” When you do not know your God-given purpose, you will abuse yourself. The word abuse is the combination of the two English words (abnormal + use = abuse). It is abnormal to tow a Sea Ray 340 Sundancer Sport Cruiser Boat with a Toyota Corolla. Eventually, something in that car is going to break down. Why? Because Toyota Corollas were not designed to pull 15,000 pound boats. When you do not find your God-given purpose, you look just like the driver who is attempting to pull a Sea Ray Sport Cruiser with his or her Toyota Corolla.

I once met a lady who worked three jobs, usually seven days a week, from sun up to sun down, for almost eight years. She habitually doodled, scribbling what she called ‘meaningless drawings’ on paper. One day after selling one of her ‘meaningless drawings,’ she recognized what everyone had already perceived. She was a gifted artist. She had worn her body down working seven days a week because she did not understand the gifts, callings, and talents the Lord put in her before she was born. She eventually changed the name of her ‘meaningless drawings’ to paintings, put them on oil canvasses, and started selling them. The rest is history. She has made a fortune selling her paintings internationally.

God gives everyone specific gifts, callings and talents for the purpose of fulfilling His plans for their life. You are born with them and it is your responsibility to find out what they are, and then put them to use. How do you find what your specific gifts, talents and callings are? Read my teaching on the subject: How To Find Your God-Given Purpose. Once you have properly addressed the seven areas that I just covered, you will find and fulfill God’s glorious plans for your life. Your life will not be one of futility, frustration, or unfulfillment. Remember, you were born to win because the Lord God Almighty chose you to be a winner!

II Corinthians 2:14
Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

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