Dear Friend,

As a believer in Jesus Christ, you have a destination—a destiny. From an eternal perspective, we know what our destiny is and that it involves being in God’s presence forever—worshipping Him and working for Him in our eternal state. That is your eternal destiny. But you also have a time-bound destiny here on earth. I call this your historical destiny. It is the unique purpose you have been created for in order to fulfill.

God has a plan for you.

He has a plan for your life.

He has a purpose for you.

The reason you were not taken to heaven the moment after you were converted is because you have a purpose on earth that He desires you to live out. Your destiny is not just to go through the motions day in and day out. It is a God-designed stamp on your soul that involves the use of your time, talents and treasures for His glory and other people’s good for the advancement of His kingdom. As you fulfill your destiny, you receive the satisfaction and contentment that come from living out your calling. You receive the peace that comes from purpose.

Rarely, though, does God ever take someone to their destiny without taking them on a detour, or two, or ten, or a hundred. It is the one-in-a-million Christian who gets to go from point A to B to C and straight on to Z. Most often, God takes you from A to F to D to R to B to Q and so on. You never know which letter He is pulling from the hat next, either.

As people, we like to plan. I like to plan. I imagine that you do too. We make our itineraries when we travel. We keep a log of our schedule on a calendar app. We appreciate the efficiency of moving forward steadily. We would never plan detours into our lives on purpose.

And yet that seems to be God’s modus operandi—His go-to method for guiding us.

It is in our detours that we become developed for our destiny. Read that again: It is in our detours that you become developed for your destiny. Wouldn’t it be a shame if you arrived at your destiny only to lose it due to your own mistakes, lack of wisdom or impetuousness? This happens to a number of people who reach success at a young age whether in entertainment, athletics or even business. I wouldn’t want that to happen to you. Neither does the Lord.

Trust His hand as He develops you through the detours of life in order for you to succeed at your destiny. To help you understand this even more so, I want to offer you my NEW book, Detours, as a thank you for your gift to the ministry this month. This has been one of my favorite books to both preach and write about. Will you take a moment to request yours today? This principle can truly transform your wait and perfect your path on the way to your destiny.

For the King and His kingdom,