by Rose Murdock

Every human being has a potential purpose.  But until you receive Jesus Christ into your life you don’t have the means to discover that purpose.  And until you receive the Holy Spirit you don’t have the ability to achieve that purpose.

Your potential purpose is God’s plan for you.  He has had a plan for you from before the foundation of the world.  He has chosen for you to be set apart and blameless before Him in love.

"Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love." Ephesians 1:4 The Amplified Bible

God, in His love, has handpicked each and every human being creating each one of us with a purpose and a plan to be set apart for Him and blameless.  God loves each and every one of us and sees the potential, the value, and the purpose that every one of our lives contains.  But just because God has a plan for you doesn’t mean that plan will happen on its own without you doing anything to make it happen.  Many people think it will.  I’ve mentioned this before that people believe in fate rather than faith.  Faith in God does not mean that you take whatever comes your way as being the will of God.  Faith in God means that you realize God has a good plan for you, you discover that plan in Christ and then you implement that plan through the power of the Holy Spirit.

…I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus." Phil. 3:12

The apostle Paul understood that God apprehended him for a reason.  God went after him and Paul was determined to discover why God got a hold of him and then he took that one step further and set out to do what it was intended for him to do!

The very first purpose we have is to accept God’s plan of redemption.  It’s not God’s will for anyone to die and go to hell, but it’s His plan for every single human being to receive His plan of forgiveness.  The Bible tells us that whoever God foreknew (which is everyone because He created everyone) He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son.  And in His plan of redemption those same people are called, justified and glorified (Romans 8:29-30).

Don’t think for a minute that God’s plan for you is to go to hell.  Don’t think that somehow you were created to suffer torment or the wrath of God.  Don’t think that you are serving God’s purpose by being separated or cut off from the love and goodness of God.  Absolutely not!  God’s plan for every human being is to be like Jesus.  And Jesus lived as the expression of the Father and is now seated in Heavenly places with Him.

Once we have received God’s forgiveness through Jesus then we can begin to discover our specific purpose.  He doesn’t want His purpose for us to remain a secret.  He wants us to know His plan for us.  How are we ever going to do the will of God if we don’t know the will of God?  Ephesians 1:9 says that God "made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:"  God reveals His will to us in the plan of redemption and then He reveals His will for us in more detail day by day.

We don’t mind finding out what our purpose is because it’s flattering.  It’s exciting because it’s discovery of our self.  But not everyone is as excited about achieving that purpose.  If we want to gratify our own flesh or desires then the idea of pursuing our created purpose may not be as appealing.  At least not initially, but once we discover the love of God and the satisfaction that comes from achieving His intended purpose then we will become excited about it.

The apostle Paul became excited or passionate about discovering and achieving his purpose.  Once we are willing then God can do the rest.  Don’t think that you’re not able, not qualified, not smart enough or rich enough to do what God has purposed for you to do.  We don’t carry out His purpose with our own resources.  "What soldier at any time serves at his own expense?" (1 Corinthians 9:7, the Amplified Bible).  We achieve our purpose with the resources and the equipping that God has provided.  Thank God He doesn’t call us according to our ability.  He is our ability.

This is why Jesus said not to try and go out and be witnesses until they received the Holy Spirit.  He told them to wait for the promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit, before they went out and tried to achieve their purpose.  They already knew their purpose.  Jesus told them before He ascended into Heaven to go and preach to every creature.  But He told them to wait until they received the Holy Spirit before they should try to do anything.  The Holy Spirit enables and equips us.

God has plans for you!  And they are good plans.  Don’t let the day to day distractions of ‘everyday life’ cloud your thinking and occupy all your thoughts.  Take some time to get quiet before the Lord.  Take some time to seek Him and find out what He had in mind before the foundations of the world when He created you.  You know those thoughts that come up every so often that give you a glimpse of a hopeful, exciting future?  That’s God talking to you.  That’s Him trying to get your attention by giving you a glimpse of what He has in store for you.  But He needs your cooperation in order for it to become a reality.  Remember the word of the Lord in Jeremiah 29:11:

"For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome." (Amplified Bible)

The Lord knows His thoughts and plans towards us, but do we?  The final outcome of God’s thoughts and plans toward us are not plans of suffering, depression or discouragement and failure.  But they are plans of welfare and peace.  They are safe and satisfying plans.  His plans for you are the very thing that your heart is longing for.  You will be the most satisfied when you are doing what you were created to do.  Your God-given purpose is not something to be left undiscovered!

The Lord knows exactly why He created you.  He knows what exactly will quench the thirst of your inner dreams and desires.  He knows who you really are, where you are and where you’re going.  He knows How to get you where you need to be.  He’s just waiting for you to say when.  If you’ll say ‘now’ and give Him permission, He will be able to move in your life and begin to fit the pieces of the puzzle together so you can have the same clear vision of your life that He does.  He’s not keeping His plans a secret from you.  He’s waiting to show you exactly what He has in store for you.  It’s not unreachable or unattainable because His plan for the rest of your life begins right where you are today.

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