Joy for the Journey: Pursuing Your Destiny

By Chris Esteves, Ph.D.

Joy for the Journey, Pursuing Your Destiny by Chris A. Esteves Ph.D. is the blueprint to the path of joy as we walk in the predestined passage God has chosen for us, especially in adverse and difficult times.

In this journey called life, we will experience disappointments, adversity, and setbacks, but this book can be used to navigate the journey and experience joy while doing it. The book uses the Word of God as the foundation to discover there can be joy in the midst of various trials and tribulations.

This is a must-have book that will teach you:
1. How to develop new skills and tools which are needed to navigate through today's ever-challenging times.
2. How to gain and maintain the necessary joy which will help you stay the course when faced with the most difficult times of life.
3. How to use joy as a source of motivation and inspiration to push through the unforeseen challenges and events of today's times.
4. How to find and achieve your call and destiny.
5. How to set forth the building blocks of legacy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Nov 17, 2021
• ISBN: 9781667811345

Book preview

Introduction

He was born March 14, 1879, in Ulm, the German Empire. His parents were working class, non-observant Jews. At the age of fifteen, Albert and his family moved to Milan, Italy. In spite of his thirst for knowledge, Albert’s early academic years were trying. His ability to learn like other students in the traditional classroom setting was minimal. It has been said that his teachers referred to him as dim and slow to learn.

As a young student, Albert found himself isolated academically and socially. The state of Albert’s life was not that he was incapable of learning. His challenge was that the traditional route he was being told he must take to learn was not best suited for his life’s Journey. Albert was notoriously absent-minded and once left his suitcase at a friend’s house. His friend’s parents told Albert’s parents: That young man will never amount to anything, because he can’t remember anything.

This forgetful, academically-challenged young man was named Albert Einstein. He would become known by the world for generations to come. At the age of twelve, Einstein enthusiastically read a book on geometry, and would later refer to the book as his holy booklet. He became fascinated by the mathematic and scientific discoveries of his day. Because Einstein did not fit within the structure of learning in the traditional sense, he began to teach himself. He was eventually asked to leave the traditional education system. He was told that his indifferences were setting a bad example for the rest of the students. God isolated him from the pain, and his imagination kept him on the right track.

School failed me, and I failed the school. It bored me. The teachers behaved like Feldwebel (sergeants). I wanted to learn what I wanted to know, but they wanted me to learn for the exam. — Einstein and the Poet (1983)

Once in the United States, Einstein dedicated himself to a strict discipline of academic study. He didn’t even spend time maintaining his appearance or image. Disheveled and unkempt, he considered these things inessential and he supposed that focus on them meant less time for his research. Einstein professed belief in a God who reveals himself in the harmony of all being. He didn’t subscribe to any established religion. His view of God sought to establish harmony between science and religion. Einstein described himself as a Zionist Socialist.

Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind. Einstein’s Journey of Influence, Science and Religion (1941)

Albert Einstein was best known for his genius and the theory of relativity. He was also an outspoken political activist and was offered the presidency of Israel in 1962. Albert responded to the offer by saying,

I have neither the natural ability nor the experience to deal with human beings. I am deeply moved by the offer from our State of Israel, and at once saddened and ashamed that I cannot accept it.

It would have been a great loss to the world if Einstein had not pursued his own life’s Journey and, instead, tried to conform to society’s method of education, philosophies and opinions. When we as individuals dare to believe in our own desires, we carve out room for us to live. We create room for ourselves and expand to a degree where we make room for others to live, too!

Like Albert Einstein, there is greatness in us. A genius lives in the depths of our soul, and it is God Who brings out the best in us. Similar to Einstein, we have to follow the predestined path that God has set in motion. It doesn’t matter whether others agree with it or not. If we are going to be successful, the same principle applies to us, in that we ought to outline and follow our own dreams and vision.

THE ORIGIN OF DESTINY

A fundamental key to understanding where you are going is to determine your origin. Your lineage, ancestry, and heritage are indicative of certain characteristics you have, which even contribute to the way you think and make decisions. Knowing where you come from is significant. That knowledge can help you identify different aspects on your life’s Journey. The process of identifying your roots will help you understand you. However, your origin is just that — your place of beginning, and it does not have to determine what you pursue in life. After all, you are not the same person as the people in your lineage. Your life’s Journey is an individual one based specifically on your choices and alignments.

The Journey of one’s life is much deeper than simply knowing the origin of family and ancestors. It goes further back to what we believe about the origin of creation. Where do we believe the origin of mankind is anchored? Developing a stance in the origin of the history of mankind is at the center of our life’s Journey. The stance taken will ultimately set us on a course for life. For instance, if we have settled into the scientific belief that mankind evolved from primates, we will shy away from faith in a Divine Creator.

Many consciously and unconsciously make the decision to be in this category, and they go through life rolling with the punches. They have no power over the challenges faced on life’s Journey, and they are subject to whatever comes their way. On the contrary, those who believe in the existence of a Divine Creator will place their confidence in Him and are more likely looking to God to help fulfill their desires and purpose. By faith, they are convinced that the Creator plants their individual dreams and vision in their hearts.

Theories of human origin are complicated and hold varying scientific opinions. Some scientists would like us to consider that the first humans emerged in Africa approximately two million years ago, long before modern humans known as Homo sapiens appeared. Many today believe that mankind evolved from that point into what we see today.

Launching into the deep beyond human lineage, and beyond pedigree or descent, it is crucial to know WHO created us. There are typically two schools of thought. The first implies that we were organically produced by nature and evolved into the human species. In that belief and thought process, we would expect that when we die, we return back to nature or the ecosystem. This theory does not settle well in the mind that has faith in the Word of God.

The second school of thought is that we were fashioned and called forth by a Divine Creator. Subsequently, at the end of our life’s Journey, we trust that we will return back to the Divine Creator. There is no better witness to our trials, turbulent encounters, and various destinations on the Journey of life than the presence of a Divine Creator. When we truly consider His existence and the fact that we are His divine creation, it is liberating to pursue a Journey in life — a Journey as unique as the One Who created us.

Would it make more sense to float through our existence precariously experiencing various states of affairs and occurrences? Or does Truth point to the fact that our life’s Journey has been predetermined, and God has predestined everything for our Journey? In a substantive relationship with Him, God calculates and resolves everything in our lives.

When we consider God’s overall plan and purpose for our lives, we will find that our origin of destiny and the Journey itself fit hand in glove. We are uniquely designed and developed as individuals, and God causes us to triumph in impossible conditions. Just as we learned as children that ABCs combine to create words, God takes the combination of the things in our life and creates order.

Pointing to the creative order of God, it only makes sense that we are not on a random rollercoaster of existence. Rather, we are on a predestined and predetermined course where we have input through our choices and decisions. The choices and decisions we make in life contribute to our life’s success or failure. We have all heard it said, life is a series of choices, and that is precise. Our choices need to line up with the Word of Truth.

The important thing to remember is that God’s plan for our Journey in life is to bring out the best in us along the way. The best thing we have in us is God, and He wants to bring His nature to the forefront in us. Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

Jesus concludes the sixth chapter of the book of Matthew with the instruction to seek the Kingdom first! He wants His followers to be confident in His promise, rest in His provision, and know that following Him brings fulfillment in life. He was explaining to them that the Divine Creator carefully and intentionally designed a system of governance and order for the called in His creation.

Jesus further explained that there is a common method and path extended to all mankind through the Journey of life. The importance of choice cannot be stressed enough. We have to choose distinctive paths on the Journey of life. Walking in paths of righteousness is the common methodology, and it should always be our choice.

God imparts His righteousness to us in relationship with Him. Walking in God’s righteousness brings rhythm to our stride. We are tailor-made and fitted for the plan and purpose of life’s Journey. Everyone on earth is called to an individual Journey, but few live in their intended Journey unique to the call and purpose of their lives. Not everyone will share the same experiences or endowment in life, and there are many reasons for that.

Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall. –2 Peter 1:10

Diligence in the pursuit of God is necessary to authenticate the call on our life. We don’t know when the Lord will return to take us home, and we should be feverishly seeking to share the good news of the gospel with as many people as we can. We should work in ministries that promote the gospel, and we must utilize our gifts and talents in support of ministry.

When we take a closer look at Jesus and His clarion call to the Kingdom of God, the strongly expressed demand for action is clear. While salvation is extended to all through this call, it is important to note that there is a requirement to understand what you are being called to. This book is not only for the called, but it is for those who have chosen to answer the call to walk paths of righteousness in pursuit of their dreams.

THE OBJECTIVE

The objective of this book is to help us discover our God-given abilities, and couple them with God’s plan and purpose to create both order and structure in life. This book provides practical application and instruction to advance in the Kingdom on the Journey of life. Everything we need for our individual Journey is found in Christ, and God imparts everything we need along the way. In order to access the power of God, we have to stay connected to the Source of the Power. God teaches us how to gain access to Him, to His hierarchy, and by the God-given design and order.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. –2 Timothy 3:16

Scripture is our roadmap, and the (hierarchy) order of the things required to handle our challenges from day-to-day can differ from one event to another. Church hierarchy is a part of our Journey when we are actively involved and serving in ministry. In the church, each hierarchy is assigned a purpose. The church hierarchy of the Biblical church consists of Apostles, Bishops, Elders, and Deacons. Each one had a different role to play and a different set of responsibilities to handle.

Hierarchy boosts the biblically endorsed "first things first" system of thinking. It is a system of organization where we are able to rank the importance of different characteristics or skill sets at any given time and interject them when appropriate. Organizations in a hierarchal structure share parameters, policies, and transactions, because there is a system in place to accommodate and provide regulation and oversight. Without hierarchy and organization, people run amuck.

Following God’s hierarchy on the Journey and sharpening our lifestyle skill sets through the unction of the Holy Spirit, we can experience a life’s Journey that is power-packed with the goodness of God. In that place, we find ourselves hearing ourselves frequently giving God glory for the things He is continually doing in our lives.

The Journey will not be without storms, afflictions, distress, global pandemics, economic instability, climate change, and other various adversities of life. While the Journey is attached to other people, it doesn’t belong to them. It is individual in nature. It is not a Journey that tradition, society, or culture decides. If we are to pursue our life’s Journey successfully, it will be because we have dared to believe that each and every one of our dreams and visions is attached to and fitted for our particular Journey. We are divinely connected to people, times, seasons and places, and God is continually disbursing wisdom, knowledge, and divine strategies to those who hear His voice.

And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestine to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestine, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. — Romans 8:27-30

God called us according to His purpose, and in obedience to Him, we benefit. Supernatural revelation flows to the people of God through His Word, and growth happens as a result of intentional submersion in the scriptures. We begin to rightly divide the Word of Truth in applying it to our Journey.

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby. We cannot stop in the infancy stage drinking milk, but we have to keep moving toward maturity and sustenance, eating the meat of the Word. — 1 Peter 2:2

Hebrews 5 says, Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

CHAPTER 1

The Nature of God

BECOMING LIKE CHRIST

We cannot highlight any one of God’s attributes above another. They are all equally as powerful and should be reverenced. We show reverence for God by learning all about Him. Our reverence for Him compels us to know Him intimately, and our worship brings us into His presence. Jesus said that the Father is seeking people who will learn to worship Him in spirit and in truth (St. John 4:24).

Worship is not confined to an emotional experience and is not synonymous with tingly feelings. True worship before God is really a lifestyle. We worship in spirit when our hearts are abandoned before the Lord, possessing a willingness to obey everything He has said. We worship in truth when our minds are engaged and filled with the biblical understanding of God’s nature. To worship God is to know Him and to serve Him. To worship Him the way He commands to be worshiped, we have to align our hearts with His and seek to obey Him (see Luke 6:46). Once we know Who God is through covenant relationship with Him, we reverence Him in our hearts.

Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? For thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest. –Revelation 15:4

An important element of God’s nature is His holiness. Holy means set apart, and when we describe something as holy, we mean that it is considered to be special because it is connected with God. Holy describes God, and He is clearly separate from His creation based on His nature and attributes. Holiness is the foundation of all other aspects of God’s character.

And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. –Revelation 4:8

God’s holiness is to be reverenced. The idea of reverence for God started with God. In the Old Testament, God taught the Israelites how to show proper reverence by giving them hundreds of laws related to purity, holiness, and worship. Sinful humanity does not know how to worship a holy God with reverence and awe, so He spelled it out for us. His presence dwelt with Israel in the Ark of the Covenant, and they were not to touch it as a matter of reverence. The Holy of Holies inside the tabernacle also required the highest level of reverence (Leviticus 16:2). Whoever disobeyed God’s command regarding entrance to the Holy of Holies died on the spot, and the purpose of such strict rules was to define holiness and impress upon mankind the necessity for reverence in the presence of the Lord. God is not to be trifled with.

In the New Testament, reverence for God is demonstrated by our willingness to voluntarily die to self and obey His commands. We demonstrate reverence for God by the way we live. When we have an accurate understanding of God’s nature, we also fully comprehend His wrath. We show reverence by taking seriously His hatred of sin and the coming judgment on those who refuse to repent. God is love, but He is also just.

We show reverence for God by learning how to truly worship Him. Jesus said that the Father is seeking people who will learn to worship Him in spirit and in truth (St. John 4:24). True worship is not about our favorite song. It is not confined to an emotional experience and is not synonymous with tingly feelings. True worship is a lifestyle. We worship in spirit when our hearts are abandoned before the Lord,