The Gift of Realizing Your Dreams

Follow your hopes and dreams while you can. While the desire is burning. When the chance comes your way. Don't be a ship that stays in the harbor, never straying from its safety. Don't get tangled up with "maybe... maybe someday." Too many folks will tell you that if you spend your whole life waiting, "someday" arrives too little, too late.

Maybe it's already a little later than it seems. If you really want to do it, do it while you can.

Be brave... and sail away on your dreams.

- Douglas Pagels

For the people who are always going to do things: The road to Success lies along the path of Decision, and up the hill of Endeavor, and across the bridge of Patience. The road to Defeat lies through the valley of Pretty Soon and the winding paths of Wait-a-While.

- Ella Wheeler Wilcox

The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places.

- Anonymous

There's no traffic jam on the extra mile.

- Anonymous

Am I living out God's purpose in my life?

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" we ask children. As if we can choose whatever we want, and through strong ambition, we can make it happen.

We can choose, because God has given us free choice. But He has also given us a specific, custom-fitted plan for our lives. His plan for your life is different than His plan for mine. If I go on to do "great" things that I wasn't called to do, I will impress many people, but I will sadden my Father. Jesus could have done far greater miracles on this earth, but He was not interested in greatness; He was only interested in obedience to the One He loves. Jesus is the Son of God, perfect and without sin, and when He lived as a man, He only did what He saw the Father doing. We are called to do the same.

The book of Jude says that there will be "godless" people in the last days. It's tempting to think he is talking about non Christians. But a "godless" person is simply one who is not living under the Lordship of God. They may be following all the rules and living a moral life, they may be doing wonderful things for God's sake, but they are not under God's daily direction. Instead they do what they want. They call the shots. They may seem godly, except God has no direct input in their lives. They are godless. 

Jude compares these people to trees that are "without fruit and uprooted." I believe that describes many Christians, and too often, that describes me. "Uprooted," meaning I have left the fertile soil of constant fellowship with God, and I've started running my own Christianity. I stay a Christian, but I sever the partnership and become an independent contractor. "Without fruit," meaning my efforts are not bringing about eternal value, because I am out of sync with God. 

Jude also says that in the last days, men will "follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit." That goes for many of us believers! We let our fleshly nature take charge of our faith walk, instead of letting the Holy Spirit have his way with us. On the average day, who is deciding how you live your life: a moral you, or the Holy Spirit?
God has a purpose for your life. He will not shout that purpose to you. He will wait until you ask Him, and He will wait until you get quiet before Him, then He will begin to whisper to you what He has called you to. In some ways, that calling may seem right up your alley. It may be the very thing you want to do. Remember, He gave you the desires of your heart! 

So the first step is asking and waiting on God. Do this, and He will show you your calling. Next comes obedience. You will never be happy unless you are living in obedience to your calling. The "greatest" job or marriage in the world will not satisfy you, if it is not the one God has called you to. Ambition is a trap; it will tempt you to go beyond your calling. Likewise, self defeat is a trap; it will tempt you to stop short of your calling. The most fulfilled person on earth is not the one who has done the most, but he who has been true to his calling.

The next step takes the most wisdom of all: finding God's timing. Say you've heard what God has called you to. And He has given you an incredible desire to do this thing. That means go run and do it immediately, right? Too many people mistake the call of God for the timing of God. Moses was called to set the Jews free long before he was given the go-ahead. His first attempt, on his own, failed miserably as he killed an Egyptian who was beating a Jew. But in God's timing, through many years and much refining, Moses was prepared.

If you are wise, you will use this time to prepare for what God has called you to. Learn as much as you can about the area of your calling. Seek others who are gifted in that area, especially those who have had successes and failures. Search for wisdom. The gifting and the anointing will come, that's God's responsibility. What you bring to the table are wisdom, humility and obedience.

One of the biggest tests that you will need to pass in this stage is the test of being able to sit on the bench. This accomplishes one very important thing: death to your self. As long as your sense of importance and value is tied to your calling, you are operating in the flesh and are not ready to give the Holy Spirit His proper lead role. Can you die to your own ambition?

It's so easy for pride to seep in to the person called by God. We start thinking that we are deserving of this high calling. We start thinking that He needs us. We think He picked us because He wanted the best. But check His prior selections. God has a track record of "choosing the weak and foolish things of this world" to confound the wise. God picked you because there's no way you could pull this off without some serious help from heaven. He wants to show all of creation how much He can do with so little. 

Wouldn't Paul have been the perfect theologian to preach Christ to the Jews? And Peter the fisherman would have fared far better with the Gentiles. But God played Freaky Friday and flip-flopped their work assignments, just so no one could chalk up their successes to human gifting. 

If God has picked you to do something great, you can be sure that you are perfectly incapable of doing it short of God's grace. That's the point. 

Okay, say you have heard God's calling, and you've made it through that wilderness stage. You finally realize that it's not about you, it's about Him. Now He's drawing you into the action. You're walking in your calling. All clear? Be careful. Too often we get careless and assume that God is now on our side, and we get presumptuous. God wouldn't let me fail, He wouldn't let me get into trouble. When we are called by God, we assume we have a guided escort who keeps us out of all danger. 

But the truth is that God requires more from those who have been given more. If you have been given a high calling, then God holds you more accountable than most. God called Moses to go and speak to Pharoah, and while Moses was on the way, God was going to kill Moses. Why? Somehow Moses' wife was given discernment, and she saw that he needed to be circumcised before he went any further. Because Moses was given an incredibly high calling, there was an incredibly high standard of obedience that he was called to. We don't get away with more, we get away with less. Presumption becomes your greatest enemy. 

One last thing on purpose. It's so easy to forget that our greatest calling of all is to be in love and stay in love with God. If we put anything else first, even ministry, we fall short and we set ourselves up for all kinds of traps. Keep Him first, and those traps are easy to spot and step over.

What's Your Life Purpose?

What's Your Life Purpose?

Finding and Knowing Your Life Purpose

From Karen Wolff

What's Your Life Purpose?

While it's true some people seem to find their life purpose easier than others, it's also true that God really does have a plan for every single person, even if it takes a while to see what it is. Most people think finding your life purpose means doing something you truly love. It's an area that just seems natural to you and things just seem to fall into place. But what if things aren't so clear for you? What if you're not sure what your gifts are? What if you haven't discovered any particular talent that makes you think it could be your true calling in life? Or what if you're working somewhere and you're good at it, but you just don't feel fulfilled? Is this all there is for you? 

Don't panic. You're not alone. There are lots of people in the same boat. Take a look at the disciples. Now, there's a diverse group. Before Jesus came on the scene, they were fishermen, tax collectors, farmers, etc. They must have been good at what they were doing because they were feeding their families and making a living. 

But then they met Jesus, and their true calling came into focus very quickly. What the disciples didn't know is that God wanted them to be happy—even more than they did. And following God's plan for their lives made them happy inside, where it really matters. What a concept, huh? 

Do you suppose it could be true for you too? That God wants you to be truly happy and fulfilled even more than you do? 

Your Next Step

The next step in finding your life purpose is right in the Book. All you have to do is read it. The Bible says Jesus told his disciples they were supposed to love one another as he loved them. And he wasn't kidding. Getting really good at this part of the process is like building the basement of your house. You wouldn't dream of moving forward without a rock solid foundation. Discovering God's purpose for your life is exactly the same. The foundation of the process means getting really good at being a Christian. Yup, that means being nice to people even when you don't feel like it, forgiving people, and oh yes, loving the unlovable people in the world. 

So, what does all that stuff have to do with what I'm supposed to be when I grow up? Everything. When you get good at being a Christian, you also get good at hearing from God. He's able to use you. He's able to work through you. And it's through that process that you'll discover your true purpose in life. 

But What About Me and My Life?

So if you get really great at being a Christian, or at least you think you are, and you still haven't found that true purpose—then what? Getting really good at being a Christian means you stop thinking about you all the time. Take the focus off you and look for ways to be a blessing to someone else. 

There is no better way to receive help and direction in your own life than to focus on someone else. It seems completely opposite of what the world tells you. After all, if you're not looking out for yourself, then who will? Well—that would be God.

When you focus on someone else's business, God will focus on yours. It means planting seeds in great soil, and then simply waiting for God to bring a harvest into your life. And in the meantime ... 

Step Out and Try It

Working with God to find your life purpose means working as a team. When you take a step, God takes a step.

• Be willing to try some things that interest you. You will know very quickly if you've found the right thing for you. Doors will either open or slam shut. Either way, you'll know where you stand.
• Be Patient. Wanting to know everything right this second is pretty common these days. Learning to trust that God will show you when He's ready—now that takes patience. God isn't going to show you every piece of the puzzle all at once. If he did, you'd get that "deer in the headlights" look, because you'd be so overwhelmed by it all. Not to mention you'd be overly tempted to come up with a back-up plan "just in case" things didn't work out.
• Don't waste your time on things you know aren't from God. "Get rich quick" schemes never work. Finding a Christian husband or wife won't happen if you're focused on activities and events that don't involve Christians. And participating in things you know are wrong—well, you're simply prolonging your answers.
• Don't let the people around you talk you into things. Just because it all sounds like a good idea from the world's view doesn't mean it's God's plan for you. Following God's leading sometimes means you have to say no to many well-meaning family members or friends. It comes down to the decision to follow, no matter where it leads.
• Lastly, don't ever give up. You may not know your specific purpose today or tomorrow, but as long as you're really great at being a Christian, and your heart is open, you will find God and he will find you.