I believe in opportunities coming my way. I believe in God bringing people and situations into my life because I have prayed and am expecting those kinds of things to happen on a regular basis. But do I believe in luck and fate? No.

You hear people say, "Boy, look what happened to him, he sure is lucky." They think that if they were "that lucky" then good things would happen to them too. So, then the reason that good things don't come their way is simple. They're just not lucky. Isn't that a lousy rationalization? Not to mention, it takes no responsibility for your life!

Other times you hear things like, "That was really wonderful what happened to her; I'm sure that it was just meant to be. It's fate, you know." But that is the same rationale all over again using different words! So, people conclude that reason things aren't going well for them is because they just weren't meant to be. It's fate.

But what about accountability and responsibility for ones own life?

Surprisingly, many people see being successful as a matter of luck and fate. And that of course takes away any accountability and responsibility. Others even put the blame on God by saying, "Well if God wants me to be successful then He will make it happen for me." So the reason they're not successful is because God doesn't want them to be? That contradicts scores of His promises clearly recorded in the Bible.

I do believe in God helping because He promised He would. He promised He would answer prayers, and He promised He would help. So, the question is not, "Will He?" but rather, "Are you ready?"

Now that may sound silly. But, many people miss opportunities that are almost literally dropped in their lap. Why? They miss them because they are not ready.

Instead of anticipating, expecting, looking forward to something, knowing that there is something coming, they just accept and settle for the way things are right now. As they go through each day, their attitude is simply trying to get through another one so that they can go home and relax. That's not living, that is just existing!

Very few people prepare themselves for something bigger. Their focus stays on the daily grind and all their problems, but never on the possibilities. They won't read books, they won't investigate new ideas, and they won't talk to other people. They just stay in their little world. And sad, but true, many, many opportunities pass right by them.

I wrote an article over a year ago entitled, "Fate." In it, I said the following: "The Creator gave each and every one of us free will to choose. Each one of us can decide what we want to believe and what we want to do. And, with His help, there's really no limit to what we can accomplish."

If anything is really "meant to be," it is that God wants us successful and blessed with the life that we want to live. He has lovingly provided all that we need. But, He also gave us free will to choose.

If we want to, we can accept "fate," or, we can choose to make our own life the way we want it to be by believing His promises and acting on them.

You are in life today where you are because of what you have believed and accepted as true. You can change your circumstances by changing your thinking. You can choose to focus on the things that you desire instead of settling for the way things are now.

The only other choice is to accept fate. If you accept fate, well then, good luck. You'll need it!

Instead of buying into the whole "luck and fate" fiasco, why not expect good solid opportunities to come your way? Believe and trust God to bring people and situations into your life because you pray and because you are expecting those kinds of things to happen to you on a regular basis. Throw luck and fate out the window. Take responsibility for your life and expect great things from God!