Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not evil, to give you a future of hope." (NKJV).
"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." (NIV).
God has a purpose for you. It is his plan, as he uses people and things in your life to reveal his will for you. We are told in Ephesians 5:17, ". . .know what the will of the Lord is." God wants us to know his will and he wants you to understand how to work it out in each of us. At the same time we all are looking for our purpose. Every believer in Jesus Christ wants to know why they are on this earth, and we are all looking for that "higher purpose" in which we are created for.
You were Created for Your Purpose. . .and Your Life Matters.
You must never give up on the fact that you were created for your purpose. You have a specific role in this world. There is no one else who can achieve what God has purposely created you to do. You were not born for it, you were created for it. In the mind of God, long before you were born, God had your purpose in mind. Because God has declared that he knows the plans he has for you (Jerm. 29:11), and because God wants you to know his will (Eph. 5:17), you can stand in these promises and declare that "Your Life Matters!" You are in a chosen place for such at time as this and God is revealing to you his purpose that was created just for you. Because God has declared it, you can stand against anything that would come against you; declaring your light is shining in this world, and you have full authority to carry on your purpose as you influence people and things to allow that purpose to take place. It is your God-given right to fulfill the passion planted in your heart as you see the provisions of the Lord blessing you to be successful, loved, empowered, and thrust out upon the world you were created to change.
The more you hear God's voice the more you have confidence of who you are.
When His voice is the loudest voice you hear a divine shift begins to take place. . . You find yourself in Christ, and you can run after your purpose with assurance God is your strength.
Your Ah Ha Moment.
There is a Scripture with your name on it. There may be more than one, but when you find that Scripture in the Bible, you will find your purpose. It will jump off the pages to you and become alive! It is what the Bible refers to as "quickened" (1Peter 1:18; Romans 4:17; John 6:63). This is your Ah Ha Moment! of hearing the voice of God. You know, that moment when the revelation of God's word becomes so alive, it changes you forever! Nothing can compare to it; it is your life changing moment!
As you continue your communications with God, a time will come when he will tell you the purpose for your life. This purpose will awaken the seed that lies waiting for opportunity and authority to come forth. It will seem so fantastic that you will know you are incapable of doing it on your own power. Remember, if you use God's power, you can do anything. With God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). All you have to do is step out in faith, one step at a time, and God will make you aware of your purpose. As you gain understanding and training, God release his anointing upon you with power to work out your purpose. Then the time will come when you are so filled with the goodness and power of God, you are able to help others come to their Ah Ha moment, as they find the scripture with their name on it also.
You have a Gift, Use It in Your Purpose!
1st Peter 4:10 "As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." (NKJV)
People will first look in the direction of their talents and passions when trying to understand their purpose in God's will. Because we are created for our purpose, it is easy to think the things you like or have passion for, must have something to do with where God is taking you. Though he does use our given gifts and our passions, trust God to show you the specifics of your purpose. It has been my experience that God will move on you with a new passion when there is something different he wants you to do. Don't allow yourself to be blinded by where God wants you to go because you have some talent or deep desire to complete something. You must allow the Holy Spirit to help reveal what God has created you for, and don't be afraid to change if this is what the Lord needs of you. Joseph was a carpenter, but God's purpose for him was to raise and train children that would look to God and preach the gospel. When Joseph heard Mary was pregnant, he did not understand his purpose, but God showed Joseph he would be a father to the Savior of the world. He was to raise Jesus and his other children to be prepared for their purpose. Though Joseph continued as a carpenter, his purpose was in a totally different direction. We must be willing to use the gifts given to us by God so we can minister as good stewards, fulfilling our purpose.
You will not find your purpose by accident.
You will not find your purpose through fate or by the sovereignty of God without putting effort toward finding out what God wants you to do. God has created you for this reason, but He is not going to just make it happen. We are not puppets attached to strings where God can pull the cords and we will respond. There are many factors that fight against us and we have to walk in relationship with God if we are to ever learn our true purpose in life. At times it may seem impossible to reach because we are not puppets. It is so important that you listen to God speaking to you through the Bible, through the Holy Spirit, through the preaching of the Word, and through people speaking into your life, before you can learn your purpose. It usually takes much time and much patience before we learn why we were created. This is not accidental, it is purposeful. That is why it is call "your purpose", because you must work at this on purpose.
Your Purpose may not be what you thought it would be.
Some people have been given revelations of what the Lord wants them to do, but like Moses, it takes them time to understand what that is. This is why most people never learn their purpose in life. So few actually understand what God wants them to be. It's the few that will take the effort to work it through and learn of God, that make the difference in the world. It is these few who become people like Moses, David, Samuel, Peter, and Paul. You must understand, God will use those who diligently go after finding their purpose; not those who are sitting back and waiting for it to show up. Hebrews 11:6, "But without faith it is impossible to please him, for him who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him."
Too often people decide that what God wants them to do is not what they want to do so they just don't do it. To follow after your purpose might not be according to your dreams, or according to your goals in life. It may be your desire to follow some carrier, either the one you are in or the one you want to build. Through revelation God is showing you something that could be completely different. The difficulty is changing courses and following God's will. This may go against what your family wants you to do, but to fulfill your purpose in life, you must do what God wants. Paul said in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who love me and gave himself for me."
Make yourself available to God.
Whatever your purpose is, God will reveal it as you seek him and make yourself available for his purpose. As he calls you to your purpose respond to him. Give yourself to him and seek his direction for preparation. Seek how he wants you to be trained and move into the lifestyle needed for you to make yourself ready. After your training is over, continue being available to the Lord so you can live in your purpose. This could be working in ministry, or it could be building a business, or working in some specific job or position. Your purpose could require you to follow someone, or be a leader, or show people how to be in their purpose. The point is, you must make yourself available to him before you can move into your purpose. Then as you move into that purpose be available to continue living there.
God will empower you to do your purpose.
As the Lord reveals to you his purpose for your life he will empower you with new talents, with new passions, and the ability to be what you need for his will. As you grow in knowledge and understanding God will develop your gifts and skills to be ready for you to step into your purpose. Philippians 4:13 is the verse of scripture that all Christians rally around when declaring that we are able to do anything for God. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." This declares there is not one thing we can't do for the kingdom of God. I prefer the literal translation from the Greek text: "All things I am being for him who empowers or energizes me."
There is nothing that we can't be for Jesus who energizes us. Whatever he needs us to be, Jesus will empower us to be just that. Make yourself available to him and he will give you what you need to fulfill his purpose in you.
When my wife and I found out we were pregnant with our third child, I was having difficulty making a living in the ministry. Most of the secular jobs I was doing was either not enough pay or they were conditions I did not need to be in, so we prayed about what to do. We were at our wits end trying to find something that was going to help with the costs of having a baby while trying to make a living for our family. We were seeking direction from the Lord and I got a great peace about going back into the military. I was in the military ten years earlier so I could get the G.I. Bill and have finances to go to Bible College and Seminary. I did go to school, graduated, and was working in the ministry. We had two children, and a third on the way, and I had no way to pay the bills. Churches were not paying enough to live on much less pay hospital bills. Most ministers in those days worked on other jobs in order to survive. So I got great peace about going back into the military.
When I went to the recruiter, the best pay was going to those who went into the linguistics program as interpreters of foreign languages. To qualify for the program I had to take a test. The test was simple. You wore earphones where they piped in someone saying syllables. One sound stood for a verb, another for a noun, and another for an adjective. They gave you sequences of these sounds and you had to label the order each sequence was in. It was to see if you were capable of learning a new language. I took the test and I made a 100%. The sergeant pulled me aside and accused me of cheating, saying it is humanly impossible to make a perfect score without cheating. I confessed that I had help, it was Jesus Christ. He is the one who knows the answers to any test and if you are walking in his spirit, for his purpose, he will help you on any test to make a 100%. The sergeant thought I was crazy, but said I had to take the test again. I told him I would, but it would be a perfect score again. He said it would be a different test and I could not possibly make a perfect score. I told him it was not about my score any longer. This became an issue that he sees the power God in me now. Of course when I took the test it was a perfect score. I am not sure how that sergeant's life turned out, but that day Jesus empowered me with all I needed to fulfill my purpose and show a sergeant that the power of God can truly show up in a person when it is needed.
Keep Yourself in the Proper Environment.
Do all you can to find your purpose in life. Read in the Bible, make yourself available to God, and keep yourself in the environment necessary to find your purpose. The more you listen to God's voice, the more you will understand and be equipped in your purpose and fulfill it through Jesus Christ. Find a local church that speaks the Bible and the Voice of God into you and keep yourself there. It is your purpose to find your purpose, so run toward it latch on. Your life is about to change.
Now that you understand your life purpose go the next step and learn how to define your purpose by studying "Define Your Life Purpose" in this library.