The subject of God’s purpose for our lives is very important one in the life of the believer. Many times as Christians we are unaware and wonder what is God’s purpose is for our lives. Once we find out what it is; many of are unaware of what we must do to achieve it. This article will help you discover and walk towards God’s purpose. It is important to remember that God’s ways are not our ways and that we serve an Almighty God who is not limited by anything or anyone. Therefor even what may represents God’s purpose for your life today could evolve and grow in something grater and go in many directions in the future.
Let’s start by understanding what God’s purpose is. The frase “God’s purpose” in the context of this sentence means an end or objective to be achieved; what is intended to be achieved. In other words, it is the end or objective that God wants to do or achieve throughout the life of the believer. In the lingo used among believers many times the frase “purpose of God” is referred to as; the calling of God.
“And those whom he predestined, these he also called; and those whom he called, these he also justified; and whom he justified, these he also glorified. ” Romans 8:30 KJV
How can we discover God’s purpose or calling for our lives?
- One of the clues that we can look for when discovering the purpose of God, is to observe what are those things that we are passionate about and those that we are good at. In most cases God uses those things that we are passionate about, that we like, for Him to work His will in and through our lives. For example; a person who by nature likes to impart his knowledge onto others, that when he learns something he wants to teach those concepts to everyone. This innate quality in the person makes him or her an excellent candidate to be a teacher. A person who is constantly singing and praising all day at work, at school, doing chores; it is quite possible that he is a true worshiper. A person who has skills and enjoys organizing and implementing logistics systems is likely to be an excellent candidate for managing and leading a church. God has already instilled in us abilities and traits that in most cases bring us closer to his purpose here on earth. Even if you say, the only thing I know how to do is cook … God’s servants also need to eat … there was a widow who cooked for the prophet Elijah and as a result of her service to the Prophet by feeding him there was no shortage of flour and oil in her house!!!
- In general, God’s purpose for our life is woven into the fabric of our character and personality. The personality and character of each individual are also factors that influence God’s calling or purpose for our lives. Many people call themselves shy but when you meet them a little deeper they are confident, they are not shy; in reality they just had not bonded with you yet. If God’s purpose for our lives is for us to teach His Word; we have to have a certain degree of comfort in standing in front of an audience to teach. When I started the YouTube channel at the beginning of the pandemic, I was falling apart… I was shaking and couldn’t even speak. It took me more than an hour to record my first video which lasted less than 5 minutes, it was to introduce myself and establish an introduction to the channel… My nerves were betraying me and I said “being so nervous, how am I going to do this every week”. It was just fear of the unknown; now week after week I turn on my camera and record not one but two videos (one in Spanish and one in English) as if I had done this all my life. Believe me! God has given us the character and personality to carry out what He has called us to do.
- Train!!! When we discover God’s purpose for our lives it is important that we make an effort and sacrifice to give God the best of us. We must train ourselves in the area where God wants to use us. If we know that God wants to use us in the area of praise and worship; we must learn strategies to care for and develop our vocal cords; how to hold a tone; how to communicate with the musicians during worship so that they are in agreement with me, how to better control my breathing, etc. If God has called us to teach His Word or preach it; We must soak up knowledge through continuous biblical reading, inductive study of the Word and if possible take some courses to learn more about the Scriptures and the history that surrounds it. In short, embrace a life of continuous training to offer God a higher level of excellence.
- Practice! Even the most prominent professions and careers in the corporate world will agree with this expression. “It is practice that makes you or breaks you! Practice makes perfect; but practice will also reveal if I am really made of the material required for the task. If you study phlebotomy but cannot see blood because you gets dizzy; as soon as you go to practice and have to draw your first physical blood sample you will immediately recognize that you are not cut out for that career. The same goes for us when we want to discover God’s purpose for our life. In our minds and hearts we can have the best intentions in the world to do something for God; but it’s not until we try that we really realize whether or not we can do it. For example, a person longs in his heart to go on a mission trip; But when he goes for the first time to a country where there is no air conditioning anywhere, there are annoying insects, there is no ice, it is hot, the level of hygiene is extremely precarious; and they offer a meal that is undesirable to the sight … if he is a demanding person with a luxurious lifestyle most likely he will quickly learn that missionary trips are not his calling. But if on the other hand, he learns that his heart was linked with the people and the work he was doing; and both his life and his world changed completely and will never be the same (like me), he will have discovered that the missions will be part of his service to God forever. We must do the practice, try things, to find out whether or not it is really God’s purpose for our life.
When you discover God’s purpose, even if you like it, become passionate about it, and agree to embark on the journey. There will come times where the sacrifice will be great and in your flesh you will not want to do it; But if God called you, commissioned you, and I put his purpose in your hands; do not harden your heart, go after what God has spoken (in order and in his time) but move! Because you don’t know if there is someone awaiting for you on the other side of your obedience.