Secrets to Reaching Your Destiny: How to Overcome the 7 Major Challenges in Life

By Salay H. Kekula

In this book, “Secrets to Reaching your Destiny,” I intend to inform my readers
about their greatness and how to eliminate the seven major challenges that
attempts to hinder them from discovering and fulfi lling their destiny.
• You will learn about rejection and how to grow to a level where it
never stops you from pursuing your purpose and vision.
• There are some people who allow the fear of rejection to destroy their
personal relationships but not any more should that be your story
after reading this book.
• Once you learn how to overcome all the other major challenges, you
will fulfi l your destiny and much more.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: Oct 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9781664118423

Salay H. Kekula

Salay Hailey Kekula has been involved in Christian ministry for more than a decade. He is the founder of Christ Glorious Church, a ministry with two branches in Liberia. He is a gifted writer, author, speaker and passionate about making a positive impact in the lives of others who come in contact with him. He studied at the University of Manchester obtained a Bachelor Degree in religious studies. He also received a scholarship from the Manchester Business School and did a post-graduate in European Business Management. One of the key qualities that drive Salay is his love for God. Everything He does flows from his passionate motivation for God and His creation. His passion is to make this world a better place.

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Copyright © 2022 by Salay Hailey Kekula.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

All Scriptures quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James. Copyright (C) 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMPLIFIED are taken from, The Amplified Bible, Old Testament copyright (c) 1965, 1987, by the Zondervan Corporation. The Amplified New Testament copyright (c) 1954, 1958, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation.

Scripture quotations marked MESSAGE are taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright (C) by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations marked NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION or NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV (R), Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT or NEW LIVING TRANSLATION are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright (c) 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked THE LIVING BIBLE or TLB are taken from The Living Bible copyright (c) 1971. All rights reserved.

To contact Author, go to www.secretstoreachingyourdestiny.com

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 10/14/2022

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CONTENTS

Endorsements

Introduction

Chapter 1   Rejection

Chapter 2   Criticism

Chapter 3   Isolation

Chapter 4   Breaking In and Breaking Out

Chapter 5   The Spiritual versus the Natural Realm

Chapter 6   The Era of Dryness

Chapter 7   Fear

Acknowledgements

Endnotes

Scripture References

Recommended Reading

ENDORSEMENTS

"I thank God for this book, for it opened my eyes to the schemes of the enemy, prepared me to be victorious in battle, and inspired me to be all that I can be in Christ Jesus. I am always encouraged when I speak to Salay, so I am very happy that he will be encouraging the millions who will read this powerful book. Salay, may God continue to impart unto you his divine truths."

—Rhonda Marynowski, counsellor

This book leads us to a wonderful scenario of human nature and uncannily accurate truth of self. I can say it’s a spontaneous overflow of self-experience and the biblical knowledge which energise and emphasise with exact examples. It shows and illustrates how to overcome the seven major challenges facing a significant person. It’s absolutely a book of knowledge and power. God bless you, Salay, for producing this great book.

—Sherphi Heric Antonio,

managing director, Orion London Ltd, Liverpool, UK

INTRODUCTION

You Have a Life Purpose

Y ou are a significant individual created by God to accomplish a divine assignment. Have you ever asked the following questions: Who am I? And why am I here? These questions are as old as humankind, and you are not alone in asking these age-old questions. The truth of the matter is that these are two very important questions to ask oneself. When you begin asking these questions, you have taken the initial step in discovering who you truly are. Who you truly are is your true self—your natural self, your true essence, the original you! There are parts of you that have been repressed, suppressed, oppressed, depressed, abused and misused, mishandled, mismanaged, and maltreated and discarded. Though you might be walking around, there are many beautiful parts of your true essence that have been buried under the many names society, with its social forces and human agents, have given you in order to constraint you and define you with false labels.

One important thing you need to know is that there are challenges blocking you and attempting to blur your vision, and these obstacles are attempting to redefine you and place labels and stigmas on you. They want to force you to doubt your true identity and capabilities. It has been said by Dr Myles Munroe that the greatest weapon of the enemy is to produce feelings of self-doubt in an individual. The opposite of self-doubt is strong faith and belief in oneself. He did it to Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:5), and he is still attempting to do it to the rest of humankind (Matthew 4:3).

You Have Potential

The obstacles seem to make you appear hopeless and aimless. Sometimes they generate feelings that seem to be screaming, You are not wanted or needed! If you have ever felt that way, then you are reading the right book. This book is for people who have experienced troubles that have prevented them from fulfilling their potential.

Why This Book Was Written

It was written to console you, and it was designed to equip you with power-packed information. This information will reveal why negative things are happening in your life, how to put a stop to them, and how you can take control back in every facet of your life and be in the driving seat of your destiny. My task in writing this book is to enable you to discover your true self and rise above the ashes of defeat. All the parts of you that have been suppressed will be released in you so that you can become your true self and fully express yourself and fulfil your destiny in life. A seed contains everything it requires to become a full-fledged, mature tree that will produce fruits so that it can fulfil its full potential, but the negative forces in nature can occasionally interfere in a seed’s journey to maximising its full potential due to a lack of proper care, love, and attention. In the same way, a seed has everything it needs to become a full-grown tree when placed in the right environment. There is a seed of greatness in you waiting to be discovered and cultivated.

The Root Cause of the Problem

Life is full of challenges, and sometimes the impulse to give up on life and give in to despair and depression haunts people.

Many people feel this way because society is not conducive to the personal development and cultivation of the seed and soil of their greatness. For instance, society will say to you to find a romantic partner but will not inform you of the responsibilities that come with it and what you need to know in order to manage and build a successful long-term relationship.

In other words, society places demands on you but does not prepare you to meet those demands. No wonder there are many unhappy couples. This also accounts for the reason the lifespan of the average marriage is diminutive.

Identify the Source of the Problem

But your real enemy is not society; it is an unseen alien creature who is referred to in the Bible as Satan, your enemy and the adversary of God. He is the one who sees you as a threat, and as he has done throughout the ages, he comes into the beautiful garden of your life to steal, kill, and destroy every good thing that concerns you when you give him access (John 10:10). He wants to enter the garden of your life and sow evil seeds that will eventually poison and disfigure the beautiful landscape of your life.

Hold On to Your Dreams

He does not want you to rise above your present location in life. He wants to steal your life’s purpose and potential and your dreams, aspirations, visions, and destiny. He wants to cause you to lose focus on your goals and objectives in life. He intends to eventually blind you from seeing the superstar in you. Put simply: he intends to control your life and stop you from pursuing your infinite possibilities.

As a significant person, you will face challenges because your enemy is constantly throwing doubts and unbelief at you through various strategies. As a result, it is in your best interest to be aware of the invisible weapons that the enemy is using against you in order to place limits on you so that you can know how to handle and overcome those weapons effectively.

Your Destiny Is Great

One thing you should never forget is that people who have great destinies are a threat to Satan. As a result, he will do anything and everything to destroy their purpose and destiny in life. As a significant individual, by having knowledge of these challenges, you will be prepared to overcome them effectively (Hosea 4:6).

Your Vision Will Be Fulfilled

The next reason this book was written is to help you identify these obstacles so that you can have an upper hand over the operation of the enemy in your life and the lives of your loved ones. In addition, by having knowledge of these challenges, you will know what to do anytime the adversary is attempting to trap you and hinder you. No matter the opposition to your purpose and destiny, you will be focused on achieving your vision as a result of the knowledge you will gain. The main reason the enemy brings these problems your way is to break your focus.

Refuse to Give Up on Your Dreams

Broken focus provides Satan with an access point to your life, and the consequence is unfulfilled potential. The devil wants to distract you from your purpose by presenting all sorts of wrong options, and the devil might succeed if you allow him in through your ignorance. But the decision you made to read this unique book will result in a major turning point in your life.

The power in this book is like fresh air that will invigorate and energise you on your journey to reaching your destiny.

rejection.jpg

CHAPTER 1

REJECTION

Understanding your past is only useful for understanding

why you are the way you are right now. But once that’s done,

it’s time to look forward to the future.

—Marius

The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone.

—Psalms 118:22 (New American Standard Bible [NASB])

T he first obstacle that is going to be discussed is rejection. What is rejection? According to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary , rejection is the act of not accepting, believing, or considering something: the state of being rejected.

Hence, rejection is a negative action taken by one person against another person for various reasons. Why are some people rejected?

Those Who Have Left You Don’t Deserve You

Rejection occurs for many reasons. A person, institution, or company might reject you because you have failed to meet certain requirements. A person might reject you because you refuse to behave like him or her. Rejection comes in many forms, and one of the main sources of rejection comes from some friends and even some family members. If they really deserved you, they would not have left you, but the fact that they have left you is a clear indication they were not meant to be a part of your story and glory.

Learn Important Lessons from Every Mistake

In the case of significant people following their destiny, they will lose some friends along the way who might not understand their path and reason for existence. There are some friends who you will be better off without because of their bad influence in your life. As you progress in life, you will not need friends who have no interest in or desire for personal growth and development. In addition, you don’t need friends who are not adding value to you and building you up. The lesson to learn is that you should not keep everyone as a friend. Some are sent by the enemy for the purpose of sowing doubt and unbelief, which might result in a negative self-concept and identity. Every mistake you have ever made about a wrong friendship is meant to teach you a lesson and not to make you doubt your abilities. Always remember that you are more powerful and capable than what people have told you.

Be Ready to Make New Friends

Your associations will have to change due to your destination in life. You only need people in your social circle who will inspire you to achieve everything God has placed you on this planet to accomplish. Hence, understanding rejection is one way God keeps you focused on your destination. Your destiny was given to you by your maker, and he is the only one who knows the right people who can enable you to fulfil your destiny. God knows how to connect you to those destiny helpers, but you need to condition yourself and position yourself correctly to be in the right place at the right time to meet your destiny helpers and connectors.

Overcome the Pain of Rejection

When you are rejected by a friend, you might feel the pain of rejection, but don’t allow that to prevent you from moving forward in life. The pain of rejection can be devastating for an individual who has a negative self-concept. When someone you did not expect to reject you rejects you, it generates many questions. You can overcome the pain of rejection when you realise that the person who rejected you was blinded—they did not recognise the beautiful creation of God that you are, and they did not recognise the grace, value, talent, and the immeasurable potential that was deposited in you by your maker.

You Are a Very Unique Person

The truth is, if they knew who you truly are and the uniqueness and the value you were going to bring to the table, they would not have rejected you. Since they did not take the time to get to know you better, they missed out on your incredible value and your unique experiences and skills you have acquired throughout your life. In other words, it is not your loss. Rather, it is their loss for not making an effort to get to know you; therefore, they missed out on the race to win you over. When you are rejected, see it as a blessing in disguise. God has your best interests at heart and has allowed it to happen because of your purpose and destiny in his agenda.

I had a friend who experienced rejection from a company that initially offered him a well-paying job. After he went through their recruitment process and was offered the position, he was excited about the prospect of starting a new role after a long job search. He was shocked when the company rescinded their offer. This surprised him because he is a very skilled and highly experienced professional in his field. I consoled him with words of wisdom and told him that he should see the company’s actions as a blessing in disguise. God has a plan, and that rejection was for his own good and the preservation of his destiny and purpose in life.

Rebound from Rejection

Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

Hebrews 10:7 (King James Version [KJV])

The common questions you might ask are What did I do wrong to deserve this kind of treatment? Is something wrong with the way I look or present myself? If those questions remain unanswered, the pain of rejection might result in a broken spirit, and this might result in depression. In extreme circumstances, unexpected rejection can lead to suicide attempts. When the Jews rejected the Messiah and decided to kill him, they did not realise they were participating in a script that was written about the Messiah long time ago, and everything they were planning to do was already written. There was nothing coincidental about Jesus’s life; it was all orchestrated by God. But the actors involved in condemning Jesus to death were blinded. That is why they could not recognise who Jesus was and the incredible value he had to offer the Israelites. He came to the Israelites, but they rejected him. To those who had received him, he anointed them as children of God (John 1:11). That is why the scriptures said of Jesus that he was the stone the builders rejected, but now he is the chief cornerstone (Matthew 21:42). If you have ever been rejected, consider Jesus Christ, who was sent by God to the nation of Israel but was rejected and killed. If you think about an entire nation rejecting one person, you should be comforted to know you are not alone, and you might not have come to that point where an entire nation has rejected you yet. Most of the time, the people you were sent to liberate are the very people who will turn against you, either due to jealousy, envy, insecurity, or hatred. That is why Jesus wept over Jerusalem, because due to their spiritual blindness, they did not recognise who Jesus was, and Jesus reminded them of their atrocities against the prophets and the holy men who God had sent to them, but they always ended up turning against them and eventually killing them (Luke 19:41–44; Matthew 23:37).

Most People Do Not Know You

The majority of people in your life do not know the magnified person you are—that is why they are mistreating, intimidating, belittling, and calling you all sorts of nasty names. If anyone ever called you useless, don’t despair. It is because God created you, and if someone insults you, leave it to God to deal with them. Remember: God does not create useless products and people. The reason for their derogatory comments is an attempt to make you feel small, insignificant, and like a waste of space. What they fail to realise is that the enemy is using them as an attempt to assassinate your destiny and your infinite potential. Their negative words, their actions, and their negative and degrading behaviour towards you is a clear indication of their ignorance, limited thinking, and their deep-rooted psychological and emotional issues which they are projecting on you. In other words, they are the problem, not you.

Toxic People Are Not a Factor in Your Life

You can easily rebound from rejection when you realise the enemy is using these negative and toxic people in your life to disregard you and to put you down so that you cannot rise to your full potential and fulfil your destiny. The enemy is afraid of you, so he is using the people who are close to you to label you and stigmatise you early so that you can’t break out of those false labels, thereby forfeiting your purpose and destiny. The severity of the attacks you are experiencing in your life right now are a clear indication of your destiny and the greatness that was deposited in you before you were born. It happened to David, and it could be happening to you. Do not be discouraged, because you are somebody special, and you are a person of incredible value and status in God’s plan. Could it be that God has sent this book your way to help you break free of any shackles preventing you from realising your full potential? Always remember: the enemies of your destiny and progress will always show up in the beautiful garden of your life at some point, and you will be able to identify them because they are the negative people around you who are constantly looking for opportunities to point out your weaknesses and inadequacies. These people hate you and will always look for an occasion to exploit you, betray you, taunt you, and smear you in an attempt to destroy your reputation.

Reasons for Rejection

God is going to remove certain friends from your life who were sent by Satan to hinder your progress. You don’t need friends who are constantly bringing you down and discouraging you (Psalms 1:1–2). You should remember that whenever a person leaves your life, the reason is because God has someone better than the previous person who was in your life.

I want you to read that last sentence again and read it again until you get it.

Be Mindful of Your Inner Circle

Consider analysing and categorising your friendships, such as those who are your permanent friends and those who are seasonal.

How would you know the difference? By asking questions such as: Is this friend concerned about my progress, or are they happy to watch me stumble? Is this friend reliable and dependable? Do they laugh at me or with me? Can I talk to them, or do they do all the talking? When I’m in trouble, do I feel safe sharing my weaknesses with them?

Learn to Be Emotionally Independent

Be honest with yourself, as you are your first best friend. This should help you to truly establish who your true friends are. When someone leaves your life, it may simply be that they were not fit to enter into your future. As with every life-changing event, rejection by a friend should cause you to expand your personal network of friends, and it should drive you to revaluate your life and make appropriate adjustments, if necessary. The mistake most people make is that the pain of being rejected causes them to close the door on potential friendships that God is preparing to introduce into their lives. Many take this action in order to prevent future rejection. But the truth is you should embrace rejection if you truly desire to grow into an emotionally strong and independent person. Achieving independence does not mean you no longer need anybody. We all need someone to encourage us, motivate us, and pray for us. Gaining independence involves becoming emotionally, spiritually, financially, physically, and socially healthy. You pay no attention to the thoughts and deeds of others, because you are too busy creating and maintaining your world.

Learn to Control External Forces

An emotionally independent person is not controlled by external forces, because they have learned how to control and determine their inner emotional climate and condition. The external forces, the negative people, and the conditions, which are the negative feedback and factors from toxic people, should not dictate your internal emotional climate and disposition of infinite power. A significant person realises that what is happening in their inner world conditions their external world and circumstances, not the other way round. In other words, significant people are independent of circumstances. You should never allow external negative forces and their attacks against you to break your confidence, producing insecurity and poor self-image within you. You are a soldier, and you must always guard your heart. You should not grant access to unqualified persons and their poisonous words of negativity and pessimism to enter your heart.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

—Proverbs 4:23 (New International Version [NIV])

Understand the Reasons for the Seasons

There are many seasons in life, and there are different types of friends who will come and go out of your life based on seasons. You may call the friends who are here to go as seasonal friends and those who are here to stay as permanent friends. There are friends God will allow in your life for a reason and for a season, and as soon as their assignment in your life is completed, they depart from your life, some without warning and others with your consent. God will link you up with the right people who will serve as an advantage to your destiny. When God allows someone into your life, it could be there is a script in your destiny that required such a person to show up and play that role at that particular time in your life. Whether it was a negative role or positive, they were meant to play their part in your life, and that was meant to usher you into destiny or purpose. It happened to Jesus; however, once they have played that role, they will depart from your life because their part of the story in your life has been completed.

Your Destiny Is Already Written

The role Judas Iscariot played was already written, and the person who was going to betray Jesus was already prophesied long ago. But the person fated to play that part in the script of Jesus’s life did not realise they were playing a part already written thousands of years ago—about the Messiah’s suffering and his eventual death and the glory that followed. The people in your life do not know they were placed there for a season and for a reason. When all is said and done, you will come out of that situation a stronger, better, and more well-rounded person who is now ready to conquer the entire world. As far as they were concerned, they were betraying you, using you, setting you up, and making attempts to trap you in order to destroy you. But what they fail to realise is, you are a child of destiny, and your destiny is set in stone. The people and circumstances in your life are helping you to get to know your destination better so that you can get there easily and effortlessly.

Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me.

—Psalms 41:9 (NIV)

Most of the time, it is the people who think they know you who will betray you and set you up. It happened to Jesus, and it could happen to you too. But if Judas Iscariot knew who Jesus was, he would not have had the audacity to betray him. In the same way, if those who are mistreating you knew who you were, they would not do what they have done to you or are planning to do to you. They are acting from a place of ignorance and gross stupidity.

While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

—John 17:12 (NIV)

May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership.

—Psalms 109:8 (NIV)

This was the prophecy regarding the person who was going to betray the Messiah, and you should take heart if someone has turned against you, because they are playing a role unknown to them. When it is over, you will be better for it. What those betrayers don’t realise is that their end is already signed, and it is not good.

God Is Protecting Your Life

When rejected by a friend, a relative, or loved one who you did not expect to abandon you, do not think it is because something is wrong with you. The reason for rejection is for your protection—the betterment and preservation of your destiny—and there are some people who are a detriment to your progress and personal growth. God, who knows all things, will remove that person who is a danger—as far as God is concerned—to your purpose and destiny.

Guard Your Divine Destiny

The next reason for rejection is to keep your focus on what is most important in your life at this very