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In Your Best Destiny, Wintley Phipps takes the problematic portions of life and exposes them as opportunities to create positive outcomes in your own life and the lives of people around you. It is a wonderful tool to encourage everyone to lead a more productive life that contributes to society at large. BENJAMIN S. CARSON SR., MD Emeritus professor of neurosurgery, oncology, plastic surgery, and pediatrics, Johns Hopkins Medicine; president and CEO of American Business Collaborative, LLC What a wonderful service Wintley Phipps has rendered by reminding us that anyone can experience success God’s way. If you plan to read only one book on success this year, I enthusiastically recommend Your Best Destiny. BARRY C. BLACK Chaplain of the United States Senate Reading Your Best Destiny is a warming, encouraging, and enriching experience. It is in the heart and soul of our being, in the depths of our respective journeys, that we find strength and insight into what it truly means to love, hope, and abundantly live as we trust God with who we are created to be. This book awakens in the reader an understanding of the source of grace and abounding joy! LT. COLONEL KENNETH W. MAYNOR Salvation Army Territorial Program Secretary, USA Eastern Territory Wintley Phipps has crafted a moving book of eloquence, insight, and biblical wisdom. It comes as a gift. This is a book to read and to share—never more needed than now. KEVIN BELMONTE Lead script consultant for the film Amazing Grace and author of D. L. Moody: A Life Decisions create destinies, and Wintley’s book will help you make wise decisions. His passion to help you reach your highest and best will take you through a journey of eight key pillars that will greatly aid you in navigating the challenge of making solid and wise decisions in today’s constantly changing world. So pick it up, find a quiet place, and launch an adventure you’ll be glad that you took time to have. DR. BOB RECCORD President/CEO, Hope for the Heart Your Best Destiny is a must-read for all who seek to excel and achieve in life. Wintley illustrates that goals and achievements in life are important; but without empathy in the fullest sense of the word, we all fall short. Insightful and creative, Your Best Destiny will challenge you to protect the greatest piece of real estate you own—the six inches between your ears. JODY VICTOR Public speaker and Amway Crown Independent Business Owner Wintley’s friendship, wisdom, and discernment have steered me through many a dark season in this crucible of life, illuminating the countless treasures the Lord had hidden along the way— treasures I otherwise could have missed. His profound insight into God’s character makes him the perfect companion for a journey toward understanding why each of us is here on this earth. Your Best Destiny is an inspiring yet practical guide to seeing yourself as God sees you and discovering with confidence the unique path He’s called you to walk. As Wintley writes, “The best version of ourselves that we can be . is not about what we do . but about who we are at the core.” These words flow not just from Wintley’s pen but also from his heart, for who he is truly embodies the principles and guidance that he shares. MATT CROUCH President of Trinity Broadcasting Network Your Best Destiny is a life-changing book, destined to become a classic that will enable Christians and non-Christians alike to grasp a new vision of the life that God meant for each of us to live. Both visionary and immensely practical, it is one of the clearest, most insightful, and most engaging books on the steps to spiritual growth. Full of wisdom, optimism, and grace, it is a wake-up call from business-as-usual for contemporary Christians. It calls for a radical redefinition of what it really means to be a Christian in today’s society, and it presents—in novel, compelling, and memorable ways—an in-depth but clear blueprint of timeless truths about finding one’s true purpose in life. It is a must-read for anyone and everyone who wants to delve beneath the superficial and truly discover—with tested tools—what it takes to live a life that makes a lasting difference in the world. DAVID R. WILLIAMS, PHD Florence and Laura Norman Professor of Public Health, Harvard School of Public Health; professor of African and African American Studies, Harvard University I’ve known Wintley Phipps for many years, and his is a story of small beginnings. He was born and raised on the island of Trinidad with nothing but a dream and a prayer. Yet God has used him to impact the lives of millions of people around the world, including kings, queens, and presidents. This book is for those who want to become the person they were created to be. Many Christians spend a great portion of their lives searching for answers to the question, “What is God’s plan for my life?” If you are one of these people, you don’t have to wait any longer. If you feel like your life is floundering or you are in a “rut” with no way out, then this book is for you. Wintley beautifully and methodically outlines the major principles set forth in Scripture to help you to realize your best destiny. DANNY SHELTON Founder, Three Angels Broadcasting Network Your Best Destiny YOUR DESTINY WINTLEY PHIPPS with James Lund An Imprint of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Visit Tyndale Momentum online at www.tyndalemomentum.com. TYNDALE, Tyndale Momentum, and the Tyndale Momentum logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Your Best Destiny: Becoming the Person You Were Created to Be Copyright © 2015 by Wintley Phipps. All rights reserved. Cover photograph for international edition taken by Paul Wharton Photography. Used by permission. Author photograph copyright © 2008 by Paul Wharton Photography. All rights reserved. Edited by Karin Stock Buursma Designed by Mark Anthony Lane II Published in association with the literary agency of WordServe Literary Group, www.wordserve literary.com. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked CEV are from the Contemporary English Version, copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked MSG are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version,® NIV.® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version,® copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Phipps, Wintley. Your best destiny: becoming the person you were created to be / Wintley Phipps with James Lund. pages cm Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-1-4964-0794-8 (hc) — ISBN 978-1-4143-90307 (sc) 1. Phipps, Wintley. 2. Gospel musicians— United States— Biography. 3. Christian biography— United States. I. Lund, James L. II. Title. ML420.P496A3 2015 248.4—dc23 2015008680 SC (ITPE) 978-1-4964-1198-3 Printed in the United States of America 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents Acknowledgments xiii Introduction xv 1. Discovering Your Best Destiny 1 2. You Are a Masterpiece 13 3. The Power of Belief 29 4. The Beauty of Virtue 51 5. The Joy of Wisdom 75 6. The Strength of Self- Control 93 7. The Promise of Perseverance 111 8. The Glory of Sacredness 129 9. The Practice of Kindness 149 10. The Splendor of Love 167 11. A Prescription for Transformation 189 12. Your Supreme Destiny 209 Appendix: Your Best Destiny— A Practical Assessment Tool 219 Notes 253 About the Authors 259 About the Assessment 261 Introduction It is no accident that you picked up this book. You’re searching for something. Perhaps you sense that your life is off- kilter. Maybe you’ve just noticed it, or maybe you’ve lived with a feeling of frustration for years. Perhaps you just closed a chapter in your life and aren’t sure where to turn next. Whatever led you to this point, though, you now realize that you’re not moving. You’re not growing. You’re unsatisfied and seeking more— but more what ? My hunch is that you’re after something rewarding. Something transforming. Something lasting. Something that blows away old definitions of success and replaces them with truth you feel at the center of your soul. That “something” you seek is God’s best life for you. It is what you dream about in the corners of your imagination. It is every- thing good and right for you and your future. It is what I call your best destiny, and it means being the best you that you can possibly be. Your destiny is within your reach if you are willing to risk a few steps into the unknown. How can I—a pastor, gospel singer, and family ma n—make xv YOUR BEST DESTINY this bold promise? Because my solution for your life does not originate with me. It is based on timeless truths, on wisdom that has guided men and women since their beginnings.