It comes a time in everyone’s life when we are all set on finding purpose. We usually have a feeling that’s followed by many questions like; what is my purpose? How do I know if I’m walking in purpose? What does purpose look like?
We tend to be very hard on ourselves when we don’t feel like we are moving in purpose.
But I can guarantee you that you were made for a purpose and that you are here on purpose.
Before you were even born, God marked you with purpose.
The Bible says,
“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.
Before you were born, I set you apart
and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5
That scripture right there should give much hope and reassurance.
You are not alone if you find yourself at a crossroads in trying to understand purpose. I think I have a few tips to help you understand purpose a little better.
This post 
is all about finding purpose.
FYI Spoiler Alert for the enemy and his minions . . . God’s purpose will prevail! Mic drop! Boom, thank you for coming to my ted talk. No, but I’m serious; everything God has for you to do will get done if you choose to participate in walking in the purpose God has for you.
Proverbs 19:21 says, “You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.”
This verse is for the enemy and his minions, but it’s also for you. No matter what life throws at you, no matter what “box” people try to put you in, no matter what box you try to put yourself in, no matter which road you try to take or try to avoid, God’s purpose will always prevail.
Let’s break this verse down. The verse says, “You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.” That said, sometimes, we make plans for ourselves that God never intended for us to embark on. Ouch! I know, I know. I’ve been there, and I’m still learning myself. But that’s okay; God can use everything you have gone through for His purpose. Nothing you have done nor ever do will catch God by surprise.
You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me! Psalms 139 : 16 – 18
We must understand that God put purpose inside us before we were even thought of. Which makes it easy for us to understand we were born with a purpose, so we won’t confuse the purpose we give ourselves with the ultimate purpose God gave us before we were even formed in our mother’s womb.
Sometimes, we tend to give ourselves a purpose because we don’t fully understand what purpose looks like. We want to start moving on the idea of what we think our purpose is instead of going to the one who put it inside of us. When we miss that step, we give ourselves a purpose. We start to think of things we love, what we could be great at, and what we are most passionate about.
I always tell my husband this; we live in a microwave world. We love to have answers quick and fast.
I’m not saying that God won’t use your passions for His purpose because He can, and He will. But there are times when God opens your heart to new passions and gives you new gifts to accomplish His purpose.
It reminded me of the story when God gave the men in Exodus the skill, great wisdom, and ability to build the Tabernacle.
The Lord has filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. Exodus 35:31
Exodus 36:1- “The Lord has gifted Bezalel, Oholiab, and the other skilled craftsmen with wisdom and ability to perform any task involved in building the sanctuary. Let them construct and furnish the Tabernacle, just as the Lord has commanded.”
It can be hard to realize God is moving you in a different direction if you are not consistently placing yourself in a position where you can hear clearly from God. God can equip you with everything you need to live out His purpose for you.
The important thing to know is we are serving God’s purpose and not our own. God’s purpose is far bigger than the purpose we try to give ourselves. We can think of the biggest and greatest purpose for ourselves, and it still wouldn’t measure up to the purpose God has for us.
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT
How do we know if we are serving God’s purpose and not our own?
Spending quality time with God, would be the first step. You have to form a relationship with God for yourself. When you spend time in God’s presence, you experience who He is. In your quiet time with God the Holy Spirit will give details on who God is and details for your life. When you spend time with God, you can then know His heart and His purpose for your life.
Romans 8:26 says, “ And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words”.
The Holy Spirit is able to guide our prayers according to the will of God.
Your quiet time with God is a must to understand His purpose for your life.
Check out this related post: Finding Peace and Fixing your Focus
In your quiet time, you should read & meditate on God’s word, worship, and pray. When you read God’s word, you find out who He is. You start to know Him as a good father. You get to see His character and how He is full of love, grace, and mercy. When you know more about God, you can believe and trust in Him more.
You wouldn’t trust someone you didn’t know, right? Meditating on His word and spending time with Him is the only way to know who God is. The more we learn about Him, the more we believe He is capable of working everything out for our good and fulfilling His purpose for our life.
Knowing that everything works together for your good.
You might ask yourself, what does this have to do with finding purpose? I would say it’s more about knowing that your purpose is not lost. Understanding that no matter what you did years ago or yesterday, when you say yes to God, everything will work out. God’s purpose for your life will come to pass, and there is nothing anyone can do to stop God’s purpose.
“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Job 42:2 ESV
God is such a good God full of grace that He turns our mess into masterpieces for His glory. Our mistakes can not stop His purpose for our lives. He works all things together for our good.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 (ESV)
The purpose is not a destination to be reached; it’s a lifestyle.
We get so caught up in trying to make purpose a life goal that we end up making it something we must accomplish. When the truth is, purpose is not something we have the power to accomplish, but it’s what we get to be a part of. We get to be a part of God accomplishing His purpose through us. We get to be a part of God’s purpose for our lives by trusting Him and letting Him work in our lives.
When we understand that God’s purpose is not about reaching a goal but about letting God work in our lives daily to fulfill His purpose, then that takes the pressure off of us. It takes the pressure off trying to perform and outperform others.
God will use our gifts, talents, skills, knowledge, and wisdom; He has given us to fulfill His purpose daily. Purpose is not a destination; it’s a way of living and allowing God to use you daily for His glory.
Remember, purpose is moving forward, not moving upward. Purpose is not a staircase waiting to be climbed, but it’s a journey ready to be taken.
Don’t be so afraid that you will move outside of God’s purpose for your life that you don’t move at all. Do not let fear cripple you; God’s purpose will be fulfilled.
The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me: for your faithful love, O Lord endures forever. Psalms 138:8
So don’t be afraid to try new things, go to new places, and use the gifts and talents God has given you. Do not worry but rest in God and believe that as long as you are walking with God daily there’s nothing you can do to prevent His plan for your life.
Love,
