My favorite types of movies are those like “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, “The Mummy” and “National Treasure”. Oh, the adventure; the intrigue; the excitement! It completely engrosses me within the first five minutes of the movie! If you happen to pop one of these types of movies into your Blu-ray player, I’m there – WITH the popcorn!

What attracts me most to these movies is one element they share in common: that mysterious, coveted secret treasure! There is something about searching for that hidden fortune that makes a great story line on the movie screen. And the same goes for finding the hidden treasure for your life!

Why Are You Here?

The more clients that I coach, the more I realize that people are desperately searching for that hidden treasure in their own lives. They are asking the questions:

• What am I supposed to be doing with my life?
• What is my purpose in life?
• How do I find my destiny?

If you feel frustrated because you have not yet discovered your life purpose, you are not alone. “Why am I here on this earth?” is a mighty big question; like the heroes in the movies, it often can take time, energy and multiple challenges before you finally discover the hidden treasure within you.

Here are the four keys you should consider to help you find and live out your personal destiny:

Keys to Discovering Your Destiny

1. The very first step you want to take is to ask yourself, “Who am I…really?” This may sound like a simple question, but it is important that you search within yourself to look for the deeper answers. What energizes you? What makes you sad? What makes you happy? If you had the power to change ONE thing on this earth, what would it be?

2. Remove the limitations! Do not limit your personal destiny to what you see around you. Recognize that your purpose may be something that you have not even heard of yet – you might create a new path/direction that no one else has ever pursued!

3. Free yourself up to be in a better position to think, meditate and pray. Get rid of the things in your life that are distracting you, taking up your energy, keeping you stuck in a rut. When there is a lot of noise going on in your mind, it is often hard to hear yourself think – much less hear from God! If you want to uncover your true purpose in life, you will need to create time and space to hear something other than the day-to-day “chatter” that goes on.

4. Take a personal inventory of all your gifts, abilities, and talents. Don’t consider any ability as “small” or insignificant. It could be that you have become so used to having a certain gift, that you consider it to be common, when it is in fact unique! What do you enjoy doing just for the sheer joy of doing it? What comes naturally for you? This could be a clue pointing to your God-given purpose!

Uncovering your unique destiny is a process that requires intentionality.  If you are ready to move forward and begin walking in your life purpose, I can assure you that this is the most exciting journey you will ever take.  Know that here will be twists and turns.  There might be delays and detours.  But if you are committed to this amazing quest, you can be sure that the rewards are like no other!

If you are looking for a great movie to watch next weekend, I suggest “The Peaceful Warrior”, a movie that came out several year ago, starring Nick Nolte and Scott Mechlowicz. This inspiring film is a true story based on a college athlete, Dan Millman, who overcame incredible odds to tap into new realms of strength and victory. His mentor, a mysterious man of great wisdom, imparted into him the greatest lesson of all time; that in order to be a successful human being, he would have to learn how to get rid of his “trashy” thinking.

What he was referring to is the internal battle that takes place inside the mind. Whether we are aware of it or not, there are conversations going on in our minds all the time, some positive, others negative. These conversations have a profound effect on how we see ourselves – and ultimately what we are able to accomplish.

These dialogues turn into engrained thoughts and limiting beliefs that have the ability to keep you from reaching your full potential. Let’s take an example: You sense that God is calling you to move in a certain career direction, to fulfill what you believe is your life purpose. You currently don’t have the training you think that you need to get into this career, and your finances are limited. Not only that, but you are also keenly aware of your personal weaknesses, and that your life is not exactly spotless from sin.

“Trashy” dialogue in your mind might sound something like this:

– “I’m not qualified to do great things”
– “What if I fail?”
– I’m struggling because God is trying to teach me a lesson”
– “God loves me, but won’t use me until I get my act together.”

This type of thinking is contrary to God’s personality, and how He sees you. As a believer in Jesus, it is important that you see yourself as qualified (Romans 8:30), victorious (I Corinthians 15:57), and a child of a loving, giving Father (Galatians 4;6,7).

So how to we get rid of “trashy” thinking?

1. Recognize when negative dialogues are going on in your head. Keep in mind that your head is not a superhighway, with no control of the thoughts that race through it.

To combat this thinking, imagine putting up a “toll gate” in your mind. As a thought begins to passes through, recognize that you have the power to allow it to continue, or to shut it down. Tell the thought, “If you don’t have a positive impact on me or others, you’re not allowed to go any further.”

2. Focus your thoughts on ideas that are good, true and positive (Philippians 4:8). Give others the benefit of the doubt. Stop to smell the roses. Take a moment to notice the little things that surround you. Then resist the negative thought by saying replacing it with a positive promise that God has made to you.

Taking hold of these “trashy” thoughts are not always easy when you are not even aware that they are happening.  However, I have seen amazing changes happen very quickly for my coaching clients who learned how to recognize what is going on in their minds.  Through coaching exercises and practice, they have learned to successfully take command over this type of negative thinking.  When you can powerfully take every thought captive and discover the secret of conditioning your thinking to be Jesus-focused, you will be amazed to see your stress levels decreasing, your overall satisfaction with life skyrocketing, and miracles flourishing in your life!

If you’d like to learn how to get rid of the “trashy” thinking that is going on in your own mind, then let’s talk!

If you’re like me, you’ve at one time or another pressed God for more details!

I’ve made comments like, “Lord, I need you to tell me what’s going to happen.” “Would you please let me in on where we’re going?” Or, how about this one: “if only I knew what you wanted me to do, I would gladly do it – but I don’t have any idea!”

After years of asking those questions, I finally realized that God has a very good reason for not giving me too much information in advance; because I have had a tendency to take the ball, run with it, get way ahead of him, and possibly mess things up!

Instead, I have found that He gives me just enough information to take the next step toward my destiny.

The Bible gives a great account of this idea in action. In the Book of Acts, Jesus had just defied the laws of the universe and by the power of God, rose to life again! Before ascending to Heaven, He gathered his disciples to instruct them on continuing the work that He had begun: He told them to stay in Jerusalem and wait to receive the Holy Spirit. Pretty simple instructions, wouldn’t you say?

Looking for much more detailed (and complicated) instructions, they asked Him, “Is this when you’re going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” Jesus told them in so many words, “Don’t you worry about all that. You just do what I said – go and wait on the Holy Spirit.”

The disciples had their own idea of how Jesus was going to restore the kingdom of God.
“What’s hanging out in Jerusalem and waiting for the Holy Spirit got to do with anything?” they must have wondered. But, with an open mind, they went where Jesus told them to go. As a result, they found something they never expected; and in the process, their destiny and purpose were revealed!

When searching for our purpose and direction in life, we often times don’t want to make any choices or movement until we get the whole picture. This can keep us paralyzed and stuck in one place, waiting to get all the information we think we need before moving forward. As a result, days, months and even years can be wasted, lost to frustration and dissatisfaction.

Be bold and brave enough to take that next step toward your goal or dream. Don’t worry about what you need to do 20 steps down the road. Don’t worry if the outcome is going to give you the final result you’re looking for. Don’t worry about taking a wrong turn. Instead, remember that if you don’t do things just perfect, God is big enough to find you and turn you back in the right direction!

You’ve heard the saying, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time”. Sometimes your true purpose is found the same way – one step at a time, one trial at a time, one experiment at a time.

So, what are you waiting for? Take that next step that’s right in front of you…and move forward!

Several years ago, I had an unforgettable encounter with God. I was praying in my study in the middle of the night. The room was very dark, but I sensed that Jesus Himself was standing right in front of me, nearly nose-to-nose, looking right into my eyes!

I will never forgot those eyes. They were beautiful, piercing, memorizing. But it was also very unnerving because I sensed that He was looking deep into my soul. As He stared into my eyes, I felt that all of my secrets, all my thoughts, were completely exposed – I felt ashamed! It was too much for me, and I did the only thing I knew to do – I looked away!

Jesus later told me that there was more He wanted to teach me from this experience. And for years, I waited to understand…

I am so thankful that over the past couple of years, God has been revealing to me what the gospel is really about. Had I truly understood the truth of the gospel, I now know that I would not have felt shame when Jesus looked into my eyes – instead, I would have felt nothing but love.

Religion has taught us that we should continuously examine our sins. In fact, I fear that we have become so sin-conscious that we have forgotten what Jesus did for us…He removed our sins!

“As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12)

“And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 10:17

It is because of Jesus’ sacrifice that we can stand before Him, look directly into His eyes, and know that we are clean before Him and the Father! What an awesome thing!

The true gospel is all about God’s grace. Grace is nothing more than God’s favor, blessing and goodness toward us, even when we don’t deserve it. Romans 5:17 tells us that we have been given an abundance of grace. It is a free gift to us, when we believe in His Son Jesus.

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

Jesus doesn’t want you to ever feel ashamed when you stand before Him. If you believe in Him, then He has completely removed your sins. In fact, when He looks into your eyes, all He sees is a mirror of Himself.

Stand before Him with no shame or condemnation. Share with Him your dreams and aspirations. Know that you are justified and qualified, and that He is ALWAYS on your side!

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"10 Sure-Fire Ways to Overcome ANY Obstacle"