HOW DO I FIND MY GOD-GIVEN PURPOSE?

You were born with a God-given purpose and fulfilling that purpose must be your primary mission in life. Your fulfillment, satisfaction and peace of mind are all tied to that purpose!

"How do you I find my God-given purpose?" That is another question I get asked on a consistent basis. So many people are lost when it comes to knowing why they were born. In this vital life-improving article, you'll learn how to learn your God-given purpose.

You Were Born With a Specific God-Given Purpose
I'll start this session off by making a critical six-part statement.

1.      Every human being entered into the earth realm with a God-given purpose, (See Ecclesiastes 3:1).

2.      No man or woman ever born came without a God-given purpose, (See II Timothy 1:9).

3.      Every one was born with gifts, talents and abilities to assist them in fulfilling their God-given purpose, (Romans 11:29).

4.      It is the responsibility of each individual to learn his or her God-given purpose, (Romans 12:2).

5.      You must be able to convey your God-given purpose to others, (Habakkuk 2:2).

6.      If you fail or refuse to learn your God-given purpose, your options automatically become: (a) your own personal vision for your life, (b) society's vision for your life, or (c) the devil's vision for your life. With these plans, you may experience great financial success, but in the end, none of these visions will bring you fulfillment, satisfaction or peace of mind, (See Proverbs 19:21).

You Don't Find Your Purpose - You Learn It!

You don't find your God-given purpose anymore than you find mathematics or aerodynamics. To find means to come upon, often by accident. When it comes to mathematics or aerodynamics, you learn them! You do the same with your God-give purpose. You learn it! Here is the first crucial point to learning your God-given purpose: God hid His purpose for your life deep within the recesses of your heart.

Proverbs 20:5
Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.

In order to draw His purpose out of your heart, you must be a man or woman of understanding. I'll show you how to become that man or that woman! Using the illustration of a man drawing water from a well, the Lord makes another crucial point. If you don't draw out your God-given purpose from deep within your heart, you will never learn it. He goes on to say.

Proverbs 20:18
Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war.

Without proper counsel, you will not be able to learn your God-given purpose. During my senior year of high school, my guidance counselor was a nice lady. She was intelligent, had a college degree and had comprehensive training to assist students make life-altering career decisions.

She said my test scores revealed that law school, electrical engineering or the Air Force was best for me.

The problem with her professional assessment.

As sincere as she was, she was not my designer or manufacturer. She had no idea what I was capable of because she was not the one who installed the gifts, talents and abilities within me.

To ask any man or woman, including your parents, to tell you what your God-given purpose is, is like asking the Ford Motor Company, "What is the purpose and capabilities of a B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber?" The folks at Ford have some sharp minds, but they cannot answer that question for one reason.

They did not design or manufacture that aircraft.

If you want to know your God-given purpose, you must go to your manufacturer, (See Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 2:7).

When the Lord God created us, He gave each of us an operator's manual. It is called the Bible - the Written Word of God.

Our operator's manual tells us which counselor to inquire of concerning this critical issue.

Isaiah 9:6 [Emphasis added]
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Our counselor is none other than the Lord God Almighty!

He is not just any counselor. Read Isaiah 9:6 again! He is our Wonderful Counsellor! He is the only one who can reveal to us our God-given purpose.

When you seek His counsel, there is no possibility of you failing in life because His counsel is excellent in working, (See Isaiah 28:29). Read how the prophet Habakkuk sought out the Wonderful Counsellor, became a man of understanding and got clear on his God-given vision.

Habakkuk 2:1-3
1 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.
2 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

Note the sequence of events...

(1)    You must engage in earnest prayer, (Habakkuk 1:1-17)

(2)    Next, get quiet before the Lord, (Habakkuk 2:1)

(3)    The Wonderful Counsellor will speak to you, (Habakkuk 2:2)

(4)    When He speaks, write the vision down, (Habakkuk 2:2)

(5)    Be ready to convey your God-given vision to others, (Habakkuk 2:2)

(6)    Rejoice, because God's vision for your life is coming to pass, (Habakkuk 2:3)

You must earnestly pray, "Lord, what is my purpose and what did you put in me?" I have some great news for you! When you ask the Lord those questions, He will always answer you, (See Matthew 7:7).

How long will He take?

He will answer you immediately, but how you hear Him depends on your level of spiritual growth and development, (See Hebrews 5:13-14).

The people who are attentive, quick to listen, quick to obey, quick to forgive and quick to repent, effortlessly hear God's voice and act on His Word, (See Mark 4:20).

The people who are distracted, slow to listen, slow to obey, slow to forgive and slow to repent, have a harder time hearing from God, (See Mark 4:14-19).

After praying that prayer, you need to analyze and take inventory of your gifts, talents and abilities.

Your Gifts, Talents and Abilities Help To Define Your Purpose

Romans 11:29
For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

Prior to your birth, God installed in you all of the necessary gifts, talents and abilities you would need to fulfill his purpose for your life. Those gifts, talents and abilities help define your purpose.

I have traveled to the Bering Sea on a number of occasions. I have been there when it was so cold, when you breathed, your breath would instantly freeze and fall to the ground. With the proper protective clothing, a human being could withstand that type of cold, but only for a short period of time.

Polar bears, however, are superbly adapted for survival in that type of freezing weather. They are so well insulated that they experience almost no heat loss. They can withstand temperatures of minus 37 degrees Fahrenheit. Because of their insulation, they tend to overheat in warm weather.

They cool down by diving into the ice-cold waters. Polar bears are champion swimmers. Using their partially webbed forepaws, they have been clocked swimming as fast as six miles per hour. They also have excellent underwater vision. Scientists tell us that polar bears can spot food up to 15 feet away while submerged.

BUT! If you take the Polar Bears from the Far North and place them in the Sahara Desert, they will eventually die prematurely. The gifts, callings and abilities of the Polar Bear are ideally suited for the Far North, not the Sahara Desert.

The Polar Bear's heavy insulating fur and thick blubber layer was made for the ice cold, not the heat.

The Polar Bear's swimming abilities, fur, blubber, webbed forepaws and its ability to withstand extreme cold, help to define its purpose.

It is the same way with everything!

The wings of the eagle reveal that the eagle was made to fly. The eyes of the owl reveal that it is more suited to hunt at night. The anatomy of the fish - the scales, slime coat, gills, ventral, pectoral and dorsal fins, and fact that they have no arms, legs or wings, reveals that they were designed for the water.

How Were You Designed?
What do you like to do? Solve mathematical problems? Play chess? Sing? Create music? Write? Build things? Invent things? Paint? Design things? Are you artistically inclined? Do you have a love for biology, nature or medicine? Do you have an analytical mind? Are you mechanically inclined? Are you a bookworm? Do you enjoy baking? Do you like to teach or train people? Do you love working with children? Do you like watching attorneys litigate? Do you have an inquisitive investigative mind? Do you love to make delectable culinary dishes?

What You Naturally Gravitate Towards - Helps Reveal Your Purpose
I started writing poetry when I was in grade school. I can't explain it. One day I picked up a pen and paper and just started writing in a romantic flow. By the time I reached high school, people were paying me to write poetry for their wives, girlfriends and special events.

I noticed something else while in high school. I had this knack for training others. That gift carried over into the corporate arena. I spent over eight  years training individuals during my corporate days. But even after I saw the success of the men and women who sat under my tutelage, something was still missing. I was not fulfilled.

The problem?

I was fulfilling (my vision) for my life and not my God-given purpose!

The Lord put within me the gifts, talents and abilities to hone and fashion men and women to find and fulfill their God-given purpose. I could not fully accomplish my God-given purpose, while training people to analyze circuits. Once I learned my God-given purpose, my life completely changed. It became fulfilling and satisfying! I have no greater joy than being able to help God's people walk in the Truth and fulfill His purpose for their lives!

What Happens After You Learn Your God-Given Purpose?
Once you know your God-given purpose and have taken inventory of your gifts, talents and abilities, go for it with all of your might!

Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

What is the Lord saying? Don't take your gifts, talents and abilities to the grave! Get busy about fulfilling His purpose for your life! Give it all that you've got!