5 things to do in order to pursue God’s purpose for your life
God does everything with intention. He has created us all with a purpose, and no life is insignificant. We are not meant to float through life without cause. We do ourselves and God a disservice when we think in this way. However, it can be difficult to identify our purpose.
Here are five tips to help you figure out why God has placed you here on His earth.
Media Outlet: Atlas Magazine
Photographer: Izack Morales
1. Walk Closely with God
In order to recognise and walk in our purpose, we need to walk closely with the One who created us. We will struggle if we try to find our purpose outside of Him. Jesus’ follower Mark makes a profound statement about this in his gospel.
‘He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach’ (Mark 3.14).
Before Jesus sent His followers out to preach and to spread the word about Him, He first got them to spend time with Him. We cannot pursue our purpose if we are not in a place of closeness with the Father. Just like the disciples, our purpose is birthed from a place of closeness with our creator.
‘.... we were created to please God’
2. Identify your desires
The book of Revelation in the Bible highlights one of the reasons we were created.
‘Thou art worthy, O Lord to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created’ (Revelation 4:11 (KJV)).
We see here that we were created to please God. That can be difficult to attain by ourselves which is why He helps us through our desires.
‘For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him’ (Philippians 2:13 (NLT)).
God gives us desires that are pleasing to Him, thereby fulfilling His purpose in us. Identify your deepest desires, do not disregard them because they are most likely from God. He has placed certain loves in your heart and the moment you begin to acknowledge and go after those things, you begin to walk in His purpose for your life.
3. Pray for direction
We may have good, God-given desires, but we need guidance to channel them in the right direction. Therefore, prayer is important. When we pray, we can receive direction from God on major life decisions. When we pray, we give God control of our lives and open our lives to His will and purpose.
‘Our purpose is birthed from a place of closeness…’
4. Trust God
This is not a cliché. When we learn to trust in God, we are acknowledging that He knows best. King Solomon wrote it this way, in the Bible:
‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight’ (Proverbs 3:5).
When we trust Him, we are led into our purpose, and God makes the way to achieve our vision straight.
5. Avoid comparison
With the rise of social media, comparison culture has become even more rampant. We look at the seemingly perfect lives of others and strive to be like them, forgetting that we are different and were created for a different purpose. The phrase ‘comparison is the thief of joy’ could not be truer. When we avoid comparison, we experience peace and can walk in the fullness of our purpose.
WORDS BY
Onome Beberi
