Destiny?

The question of destiny. That's what came up when I was speaking with my sister. So many believe the way she does. That our lives are already set and there's nothing you can do about changing it. What does God say? Does He have our lives already planned out, or do we have control?

In Romans 8:29-30 it says, ^"For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified."

I believe this to mean that before we were born God had a destiny for us to be like Jesus and that He has a plan for each one of us in our lives.

However, it also says in Philippians 3:18-20, "For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. "

I believe this to say that people do have the choice to not believe and to turn away from God and change their destiny to destroy themselves.

So, is my sister and so many others right about destiny? Can we party hard since we are all going to die anyway? No. God has given each one of us a choice of paths in life. It's that proverbial "fork in the road" in front of us all the time. We can choose His way which leads to blessings and peace and the fulfillment of His calling on our lives or we can turn away and make things hopeless and hard for ourselves. Don't get me wrong, you will make mistakes as you travel the right path toward God but His forgiveness and love is there for you. Just don't give up and allow the devil to make you feel like you are meant to be a sinner.
We are all destined to be loved by God.