Who Is in Control of My Destiny?
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” — Proverbs 3:5–6 KJV
When I sit back and look across the world, I see too many people taking their destiny for granted. I see people depending completely on themselves, their connections, their money, and their resources to make the most out of their lives.
But what happens when your strength is no longer enough? What happens when your plans stop working? What happens when the future you carefully mapped out begins taking you somewhere you were never meant to be?
I am a young man who grew up in the church, but I also grew up close to the streets. For much of my life, I felt my destiny being pulled in two different directions. One side showed me faith, purpose, and righteousness. The other side showed me shortcuts, pressure, temptation, and survival.
Even in my younger days, the Lord blessed me with awareness. He allowed me to recognize that there are many ways to do right and many ways to do wrong. Still, He gave me the freedom to make my own choices.
That leaves us with an important question:
When God gives us the power to choose our way, do we ever ask Him to help us discern the righteous way?
I Thought I Had It Figured Out
For a long time, I did not ask God.
I felt as though I knew it all and had everything figured out. I believed I could plan my little life step by step and build the future I wanted through my own intelligence, strength, and determination.
But I was leaving the most important part out of the equation: God.
Each step I took was covered in pride. What I called growth was sometimes only deflection. I was moving, but movement does not always mean progress. I felt like I was getting closer to a successful future, while the entire time I was wasting my strength, energy, and attention in places that were never meant for me.
That is a dangerous place to be—working hard without first asking God whether the work is connected to His will.
You can be busy and still be out of position.
You can be successful in the eyes of people and still be spiritually lost.
You can reach the destination you planned and discover that God never told you to go there.
Your Destiny Is Bigger Than Your Plans
We must understand that the final power is not truly in our hands.
Yes, God gives us the ability to think, choose, work, and build. However, our ideas need more than our actions. They need God’s will, direction, and approval.
A vision without God can become a distraction.
A door without God can become a trap.
A relationship without God can become a source of destruction.
A dream without God can pull you away from the purpose He created you to fulfill.
We spend so much time asking God to bless our plans that we sometimes forget to ask whether our plans came from Him in the first place.
Faith is not forcing God to approve what we already decided. Faith is being willing to surrender our decisions and allow Him to correct our direction.
What Walking by Faith Means to Me
Now, at 20 years old, I am finally beginning to understand the true meaning of walking by faith.
Walking by faith does not mean I know every step ahead of me. It means I trust the One who does.
As long as I continue seeking the Lord through the work of my hands, I believe His goodness, guidance, and favor will remain with me. I no longer have to worry constantly about the path I am on because I am learning to place my full trust in God.
There is no longer room for the same doubt about whether what I am doing is for me or whether the work will be worth it. My responsibility is to seek God, obey His direction, and remain faithful with what He has placed before me.
His responsibility is to direct the outcome.
When you say you trust God, you must believe it.
When you say you believe in God, your life must begin to show it.
Trust is more than something we say in church. Trust is what we demonstrate when our plans change. It is what we show when a door closes, when an answer takes longer than expected, or when God tells us to release something we desperately wanted to keep.
Place It in God’s Hands
Whatever you believe is meant for you—your business, career, relationship, dream, purpose, or next opportunity—offer it to God.
Do not hold it so tightly that you refuse to let Him examine it.
Ask Him:
“Lord, is this connected to the destiny You have for me, or is this only something I desire for myself?”
If it is meant for you, God knows how to establish it. If it is not meant for you, trust Him enough to remove it. His rejection can be protection, His delay can be preparation, and His redirection can save you from wasting years in a place that was never designed for you.
Your destiny is too valuable to be led by pride.
Your purpose is too important to be controlled by pressure.
Your life is too precious to be built without the One who gave it to you.
God is not merely a part of the equation. God is the foundation.
We do not truly discover our destiny by taking complete control. We discover it by surrendering control to God.
Royal Reflection
Am I truly allowing God to direct my destiny, or am I only asking Him to bless the life I have already planned for myself?
Sit with that question. Be honest with yourself, and then be honest with God.
A Prayer for Direction
Father God, I surrender my plans, desires, decisions, and future to You. Forgive me for the moments when I moved in pride and trusted my own understanding more than Your direction. Give me the wisdom to recognize the righteous path and the courage to walk away from anything that is not connected to Your will. Lead my labor, order my steps, and help me trust You—even when I cannot see what comes next. I believe that the destiny You have prepared for me is greater than anything I could build without You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
You were created with purpose, but purpose is not discovered by running ahead of God. It is revealed when you walk with Him.
— Treston Kentrell Carter Jr.
Tru King Empire — Where Champions Are Built From the Inside Out