Lord, I thank you for Your love and mercy and everyone You have brought here to hear/read Your words through this blog. I pray that through this, You empower every person to seek after You and their purpose. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Before I start, so I won’t have to keep referring to it, a lot of what I say will come from Youversion’s bible plan called Passion & Purpose, which I highly recommend you all read.
In life, it is very easy for God’s children to live a ‘settled-for-life’. This is a life where people go from day to day without a life plan or long- term goal. They usually live in the moment and are contempt with an average life. This is why it is very easy for people to believe societal myths that they are nothing special in life, that there is no point in life and that their future is non-existent.
But Jeremiah 1:5 says, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
Before you were brought onto the earth through your parents, God had created a purpose for you and gave you gifts to fulfil that purpose. For those who wish they were born in a different time or different family, you should also know that God even ordained what generation, time and place you should be born in. You are here for a reason.
The bible also says in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
This verse is God telling us that as He has created a purpose for us, it is one that is good and beautiful. Though as Christians we may be different and come in all shapes and sizes, we make up one body and all our purposes come together like a cog in a machine to keep the Kingdom of God running. Because of this, not one human is replaceable and that is why you are special.
We should note that God also gives each one of His children a standard purpose. This purpose is to be a Minister of Reconciliation. Through Adam, man’s nature became sin and God has called His children to reconcile all the lost sheep of the world back to Him. This is the number one desire of God.
Naturally as human beings we are bent on self-gratification and following our own goals but all that I have said should show you that our lives are not for ourselves and that many people are tied to our destinies. We can not afford to neglect our paths- after all, in Matthew 16:24 Jesus says we should take up the cross with Him.
With this purpose God has also given us “standard” gifts also referred to as motivational gifts such as:
Prophesying
Ministering
Teaching
Exhorting
Giving
Leading
Showing mercy
Our more personal purposes on the other hand are unique to us. They will most definitely be for the glory of God and to bring multitudes to the Kingdom but they are more specified.
An example of this is Joseph: he became Prime Minister overnight and whilst it wasn’t a naturally deemed “Christian” job, God used him to set Egypt right and bring them back to Him.
For Abraham, he was the father of nations. For David, he was a soldier and King. For Moses, he was the bridge between the Israelites and God, rescuing His people. Mary was the father of Jesus. Paul was a great Apostle. We all have one central task of bringing others to Christ but the ways in which we do it are not the same, this is where our purpose comes in.
Please understand that no purpose is greater than the other and when you believe that, that is when feelings of worthlessness also creep in. Everyone is a puzzle piece with a specific place they go and the puzzle can not be completed until all pieces have been put together. You may feel like you are in a lower place but God has ordained for His children to be at the top of any field they are in and that’s what we should focus on. It’s like the typical dustbin man example, whilst the job should not be looked down on, it often is. But if God has called you to be one as long as you trust in Him and make His ways your ways, He will uplift you and make you the best dustbin man.
God has also gives us specific gifts to help us fulfil our purpose such as:
Motivation
Clear thinking
Enthusiasm
Creativity
Pragmatism
Metal focus
it could also be a more specific ability like a cooking, athletic, or even singing ability
But to have or even know our purpose is not enough, we must walk after it, and that comes from having vision.
So what is vision? Not only does a divine vision from God reveal our purpose unto us, it also provides us with a vivid picture of what God is set to do through us. A vision inspires and motivates us on our ‘purpose walk’. It gives us fresh zeal to fight against any obstacles. This vision can be sent by God through things like a dream or Him audibly speaking to you.
Concerning the latter, this was the case of Abraham, In Genesis 13:15, God told Abraham “for all the land that you see, I will give to you and your offspring forever”. God gave Abraham a vivid picture of what laid ahead for him and from this point, Abraham walked with God and never looked back, fulfilling his purpose.He pushed on so much so that even now, we claim the blessings of Abraham.
Whilst we are all children of God, the revelation of a vision or God’s purpose for us is not immediately given but we must work towards receiving it. This is achieved through prayer, reading the Word and following after God and His interests.
And this is where gifts come in. It is not enough to be a Christian, we must yearn after the things of God. You may find that standing outside of Christ you may still have remnants of your gifts or generic talents at hand but to experience the fullness of your gift, you must seek God and follow after Him. And this is for many reasons:
For example, God wants to see that we will not use our gifts for our selfish needs but for the will of God. If anything, anything out of the will of God will surely lead to destruction so even in temporarily withholding these gifts He is protecting you from using it to enable your downfall.
Moreover, to experience the fullness of God and His blessings, we must pursue after our purpose. God loves is centred around saving His people and He finds delight in those who have the same desires.
Let me pose a question to you: is there someone you know who is so great towards you and pleases so much that your heart is always compelled to gift them?
This is the same with God and if we truly love Him, we will love what he loves. Take Job for example, the fact that God boasted to the devil about Job calling Him “His servant” is enough indication to show that Job pleased God. Well, the bible says that Job “the greatest man among all the people of the East”.
So how do we pursue the fulfilment of our destiny? How do we experience the fullness of God, His blessings and our gifts?
1. Being in a relationship with the Holy Spirit. The bible describes the Holy Spirit as an intercessor: this means that when we are reading the Word of God or are in prayer the Holy Spirit can and will minister things to us, things such as our purpose or what steps to take in our path. It is the source of wisdom, motivation and power.
The Holy Spirit also has gifts that are made alive in us as we continue to engage with Him. We do not do things on our own accord, it is the Holy Spirit working through us.
2. Simply ask God (in prayer). Christianity is not as mysterious as it seems and I promise you, you do not need to be worthy enough before God reveals such a thing unto you. God looks for those who yearn for Him and those who will put their trust in Him, it doesn't matter who you are or what stage you are at.
3. Renew your mind and think like Christ. This is important for our pursuit for many reasons. For example, reprogramming your identity: outside of Christianity, before we are born again, we are nothing but in Christianity we are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). And with this, our thinking must be driven by faith, trust, love and power. Another thing is our mindset. The devil knows the power we have and will do anything to stop us from reaching our destiny. Attacks from him and the world can come from societal myths of unworthiness and mentality strongholds that tell us we won’t achieve our goals.
Also, in order for us to be in fellowship with God, we must align our desires with His. For many, they have felt out of touch with God and their purpose because they act against the will of God or dwell in places that He does not. We often think to submit to God is to not enjoy life but when you lay it all on the line form Him that is when real enjoyment will be experienced- a life of abundance, peace and prosperity. The bible says in Amos 3:3, “Can two walk together except they be agreed?”. It is with God that we walk on the path of destiny. One definition of wisdom is knowing what next step to take in regards to the future. By thinking like Christ and renewing our minds from the ways of the past, it will enable us to be in constant fellowship with God, the source of our wisdom.
This walk won't be easy, but with God, and God only you can and will achieve. But you have to be deliberate about it, you must purpose in your heart to seek after God. Constantly reflect your purpose and vision by writing it down and engaging in daily affirmations. We need to understand that God does not call the qualified but qualifies the call. *Grace’ and Mercy’s favourite line* Our purpose may seem unachievable due to our own weakness but we need to understand that the source of our ability is God. God gives us the power, the wisdom, the strength, the perseverance to do all things. Philippians 4:13 says we can do all things through Christs Jesus who strengthens us. Do not look at your inadequacy but look towards God who will take care of all things for you.
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