Does believing that you have a destiny help you be a better person?

No. But belief in God does.

I don't think so. How unloving and unjust Jehovah God would be if before we were born, he predetermined the course we would take and then held us responsible for our actions! He does not do this, for “God is love,” and “all his ways are justice.” (1 John 4:8; Deuteronomy 32:4) Having given us freedom of choice, he did not at the same time ‘determine from eternity whom he would save and whom he would damn,’ as believers in predestination assert. Freedom of choice precludes predestination.

You might ask yourself the following questions: ‘If, in fact, there is nothing we can do to change our destiny, if God or fate has already determined the outcome of a matter, what is the point of praying? And if our destiny is already determined, why take measures to protect our safety? Why wear a seat belt when traveling in a car? For that matter, why refrain from drinking and driving?’

The Bible in no way condones such reckless behavior. Rather than leave matters in the hands of fate, the Bible commanded that the Israelites be safety conscious. For example, they were ordered to build a low wall around the flat roofs of their houses. The purpose was to prevent someone from accidentally falling from the roof. Why, though, would God give such a command if a person were destined to fall from a roof and die?—Deuteronomy 22:8.

What about those who die because of natural disasters or other tragic events beyond their control? Do they have a predetermined “date with death”? No, the Bible writer King Solomon assures us that “time and unforeseen occurrence befall [us] all.” (Ecclesiastes 9:11) So no matter how bizarre or unlikely the circumstances, tragic events are not predestined.

The Way

reprehensible people often use God as a pawn to make themselves acceptable to the uneducated.