What Is My Purpose and Calling?

What is the passion deep inside you? What is driving you? When you finally get a free moment and your kids are asleep, what is your dream? It may be as simple and glorious as being a better mom. Or it may be as grand and long-term as starting and growing your own business. It may be as Christlike as becoming a full-time missionary. Or it may be just to pay the bills and try to get out of debt.

God has a calling for you and a purpose--a great purpose for how He wants to use you to help others, bless others, love others. God sees the big picture, even though we rarely do. We often only see today and here and now. We see the circumstance, the struggle, the battle, the frustration. But God knows how He plans to turn every difficulty in your life into victory and ministry.

Consider David and Goliath. If David looked at Goliath from a worldly perspective, he would never have volunteered to fight against him. He would have feared Goliath just like the rest of the Israelite soldiers did. But David knew the power of God; he had experienced God's victory over giants in the past. As a shepherd, he had to fight off or kill lions or any other beasts that tried to attack his sheep. So David had confidence in the power of God and in the power he had received from God to be skilled with a slingshot.

God is all-powerful, but He also empowers us! So how has God empowered you and prepared you for your current calling? Spend some time listening to God today because He wants to show you how to work together with His Holy Spirit to strengthen and grow His Kingdom on this earth.

There are two things inhibiting your victory and ministry. Apathy and fear. Apathy presents itself in not taking the time to seek Christ, being so busy that you don't have time for Christ, or focusing so much on yourself and your day-to-day struggles that you forget that the Spirit of Jesus Christ is living and active in and around you. Fear is demonstrated first in your mind--the worries, the concerns, the paralysis, the depression, the false thoughts you feed on. These thoughts produce inaction. You may feel the Spirit nudging you to do something, but you fear doing so for one or many reasons.

Satan is tempting you to:
1.   Focus on yourself.
2.   Think this life is only about the here and now.
3.   Forget about heaven and eternity.
4.   Give up on _______ (fill in the blank).
5.   Spend excessive time on things that don't really matter.
6.   Be discouraged.
7.   Doubt the power and faithfulness of God.
8.   Depend on __________ (someone or something) instead of depending on God.
9.   Be lukewarm; half-devoted to God.
10. Downplay the importance of your ministry to your own family.

God wants you to know:
1.   He loves you so incredibly much! Nothing can or ever will change that--not even you.
2.   He has a purpose for your life. He will help you find it, but you have to seek Him to figure out what it is and how to fulfill it.
3.   God's calling for your life is bigger than you. He is reaching the whole world. So don't stop small if God is telling you to do something big for His Kingdom!
4.   God's calling for your life may be smaller than you realize. You may be in a stage of life where you have to stay home. So how does God want to use your gifts at home with your family or maybe through the internet? Not everyone is Billy Graham. Someone had to be his mom.
5.   Jesus was always in ministry or prayer. He prayed up so he was ready for the ministry. He was constantly seeking the will of God and walking in obedience to it.
6.  God wants you to look deeper. Of course life happens and you naturally get caught up in focusing on temporary things like floors and cars and jobs and extracurricular activities. But is there something deeper you need to share with someone--your child, your neighbor, your spouse, your co-worker? We have the good news of eternal life through Jesus Christ! Share it!!
7.   He is always good, and He is always with you. He will never let you down. Though the whole world may fail you and leave you hopeless and alone, God will never abandon you.
8.   Jesus died to take away your sins and to provide healing and hope.
9.   Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after he was crucified, and the same power that gave Him victory over death is available to you today!
10. God wants to empower you to look outside of yourself and to reach out to someone today and every day. Make that phone call. Write that note/email/text. Go and knock on that door. Be intentional about doing something to show the love of Christ every day.