MANAGING YOUR DESTINY with Dr Charity Segun Odeyemi (Lead Pastor, Evergreen Christian Center Akure Nigeria)

BUYING THE FUTURE – PART 2
Whatever future you walk into is the result of the choices you make today. The future is not an accident; it is purchased, and the price is your decisions, sacrifices, and discipline in the present. Do not push responsibility for your tomorrow onto others. Refuse to blame your setbacks on parents, government, institutions, or circumstances. While those factors may influence your path, they do not determine your destiny. You hold the power, by God’s grace, to choose and buy the future you want for your life.
The Bible says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7). Your future harvest will be the product of the seeds you plant today.
How to Procure the Future You Desire
1. Handling Money: Today’s Price for Tomorrow
Money is one of the currencies with which you buy the future. Every resource that passes through your hands is on assignment. How you use it today determines what your tomorrow will look like.
The Bible says, “Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days” (Ecclesiastes 11:1). In other words, what you invest or channel wisely today will yield a return in the future.
Money is not evil in itself. “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10), but wealth itself is a blessing when rightly managed. Abraham was very wealthy in cattle, silver, and gold (Genesis 13:2). David was blessed with abundant resources and possessions (1 Chronicles 29:28). These men were wealthy, yet they found favor with God. This proves you don’t need to be poor to make heaven, and being rich doesn’t automatically disqualify you from eternal life. What matters is how you manage what God has entrusted to you.
Many believers carry God-given ideas that could impact nations, but lack of resources has kept them dormant. This is why money must be managed wisely. Avoid waste. Avoid mismanagement. Learn to save, invest, and sow in the right places. Jesus Himself spoke of the faithful steward who managed resources well and was rewarded with more (Matthew 25:14-30).
2. Diligence, Not Laziness
Being born again is not an excuse for laziness. Grace is not given to make us idle but to empower us to labor fruitfully. Paul said: “But by the grace of God I am what I am… yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10). Grace produces diligence, not idleness.
The Bible also says: “Do you see a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men” (Proverbs 22:29). Your future will not be secured by mere wishes, but by diligent labor, wise stewardship, and faithfulness in little things.
3. Letting Money Work for You
Instead of spending everything you earn, let your resources work for you. Jesus told the parable of the talents, where those who invested their talents were rewarded, but the one who buried his talent in fear was called a wicked and lazy servant (Matthew 25:26). The lesson is clear: God expects increase from what He has given you.
The wise believer will channel money into ventures, skills, knowledge, and opportunities that build a lasting future. Invest in what aligns with God’s will for your life.
Final Admonition
Beloved, don’t leave your future to chance—buy it with your choices today. Learn to handle money with wisdom. Reject laziness, embrace diligence, and let your resources serve God’s purposes in your life. Remember the words of Jesus: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).
Direct your treasure toward your God-ordained future, and your heart will follow. Nobody invests in obedience, diligence, and wise stewardship and regrets it.