On an overseas speaking engagement several years ago, I was walking with my daughter and wife through a cemetery in Great Britain looking at headstones that were erected before the United States of America, my homeland, had even been discovered. As we read names and inscriptions of people long ago deceased, we wondered who they were and how they died. Eventually the conversation turned to speculating what they did with their time on earth.
I asked my daughter, “Do you think most of them ever discovered their purpose in life?” She replied, “I sure hope so because it would be sad to live your life and never know what you were made to do.”
Sad, yes, but even more so, it is tragic to live a life void of understanding your purpose.
Throughout my two decades of public speaking, I have been asked one question more than any other: How do I discover my life purpose?
Everyone knows the day they were born but many don’t know why.
I was fortunate and blessed to find my purpose a few weeks after a failed suicide attempt at 21 years of age when I was introduced to what it meant to have a relationship with Christ instead of just a religious label. Knowing why I exist and what I was born to do has given my life satisfaction, meaning, drive and fulfillment. This knowledge of “why” does the same thing for countless others who have made the discovery.
There are dark forces that do not want you to find your mission, but God never intends or wants it to be a secret. There are, however, requirements to knowing and living out God’s destiny.
Surrender
Psalms 37:5 says to delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Innate within you are certain bends, drives and leanings that have been placed there by the Lord to help give you direction, but they are often hidden until you completely surrender. Factors like, what motivates you, troubles you, inspires you and even things that have been a plague or struggle in your life can be direction indicators.
Of course, some of our desires are not from the Lord and can be misleading but when we completely yield to what God wants and seek Him wholeheartedly, we give Him permission to make His desires ours.
I always planned on being a businessman like my father and never dreamed of preaching the Gospel. Even though it was never on my radar, as soon as I gave my life to Christ, I no longer had any desire to pursue business and was given a new assignment. What might God be calling you to?
Permission
Give God permission to rearrange your life. Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.”
Handing over control of your life is difficult and is a major roadblock to many people understanding what they were created to do. It requires trust, submission and possibly a season of difficult change caused by a reordering of priorities. This verse tells us God establishes plans after we commit. Fulfillment always come on the backside of obedience. The plus side is that alignment is peace. We align with God and He aligns, straightens and clears the path.
I’ve met so many people who spent years getting a specific college degree and realizing it’s not what they have a passion to do. They are gripped with fear and wonder how they can walk away from their educational investment and career. Is it not better to be in the center of God’s will than to spend the rest of our lives in the rut of a comfort zone?
Many years ago, I stepped away from ministry for a season and worked for a Fortune 500 company. I was miserable. When it was time for me to step back in to ministry, it wasn’t easy walking away from the stability and perks of a successful job was not easy with a wife and two small children. I took a huge cut in pay and left with no health insurance for my family but God always provided. He always does for those who give him permission to rearrange their life.
Pursuit
Don’t look for an emotional experience or a choir of angels to announce what God has navigated for you. This is rare! Proven time and again in scripture is this truth: God progressively reveals His will AFTER we obey what He has already required.
Matthew 6:33 gives us a promise: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and ALL things will be added to you.” This is a non-negotiable guarantee. If we dedicate the time and effort it takes to pursue Jesus, His purpose will become clear. Like any relationship, this requires commitment and dedication.
God speaks to us in many ways. Sometimes it’s through godly counsel, a song, a sermon or an unexpected encounter, but the most definitive way is through His word written down in scripture. The Bible is a lamp to light our path and when we don’t make studying it a priority, we shortchange our ability to discern direction. When we relentlessly pursue God, He begins opening and closing doors of opportunity that were previously unseen or locked.
Doing great things for God always begins with alone time with God. God must first have our heart before He will use our hands.
Technology has conditioned us to expect immediate answers, making it difficult for us when God doesn’t operate on the same timetable. While you may receive fast and concise marching orders, and some do, it is not likely. God is more interested in what’s happening in you than He is in what’s happening through you because effectively living out His will has to stem from an overflow of your relationship together. Oftentimes we think we are battle ready when God knows we are not. The Lord may need to grow or prune certain areas within you before you can fulfill your purpose.
God knew you before you were conceived and specifically designed you to accomplish feats no one else can complete. He wants you to know your purpose vastly more than you do. However, He will not reveal the plan until you are willing to pursue it.