There is a reason you are occupied by thoughts of your destiny, or purpose of existence. You have an innate need to seek out the plan God created for you. You were designed with a craving to reach your destiny. I did not know I had been chosen by God to fulfill a purpose in His plan. The Bible is full of promises of protection, provision, and abundance. However, as we step into the life God has called us to lead we feel fear, uncertainty, and a lack of resources. Just about the time we get trucking along, something we depended on gets changed, and we are forced to make adjustments. During which times we experience fear, uncertainty, and even anger, our faith is challenged. When a tree is left to tend to itself and the dilapidated branches droop to the ground and dry up, producing no fruit, only leaves, it is trying its hardest to restore itself. But, all its efforts are in vain, because all its energy is going to sustain the dilapidated branch with leaves. It does not possibly have the resources needed to also produce fruit. It's taking everything it has just to survive. Do you know what that feels like? Are you pouring everything you've got into your life, and still just barely getting by? Knowledge of your identity is crucial in fulfilling your destiny. It will be used to encourage you. As you travel this road to fulfilling your destiny, you will need the proper tools. All of the tools are crucial for traveling the path you were destined to walk. When you step into your destiny, you will be exhilarated, ready to do what you are certain God has called you to do. At this point, you are experiencing the power Paul wrote about in his second letter to Timothy, "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline" ( 2 Tim 1:7 NIV). As the self-discipline lessons begin to shape you, you will feel the pain and confusion caused by the pruning. Yes! You have been pruned by the gardener (John 15); you are a branch with hardly any leaves or anything left on it; you feel naked, exposed and vulnerable. It is the winter of your transformation. It is in this time that you must allow the Holy Spirit to guide you. Relying on your feelings will not do. Every ounce of logic and analysis will tell you to turn around, pull out, stop, abort mission! But, it is not the truth. Only the Holy Spirit can guide you through this season. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gen