Finding Your Purpose (in Life)

First thing I want us TO be conscious of is that, we can never be in control when it comes to life’s most crucial elements.

Finding our purpose in life is not a day, week, month, or a year job. It’s not the light bulb that just suddenly turns on when you see something. It’s a constant journey. Sometimes you will fall, sometimes you will bend or but rest assured you will keep moving no matter the pace.

 “So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them”.  (Genesis 1:27)

To know your purpose, is to know your history, your heritage. When you have not yet discovered your heritage, you’ll be lurking around empty nothings. You’ll look for many ways to fill the voids in jobs, partying, friends,  boyfriends, girlfriends and so on.

You wouldn’t buy an iPhone now and then go to a random phone store asking what is wrong with it, there’s just so little they can do as they are not the manufacturer. So, when searching for your purpose, you do not search for it in things God has created, you go directly to the manufacturer (God). I find It quite alarming that our generation feel that it is ‘silly or too spiritual’ to ask God things concerning our lives.

In every phone boxes, the manufacturers ensure that there is a phone booklet in the box for customers who purchase. WHY?

Answer: To learn how to work through their phone, getting help where/ when needed.

Before this idea came to fruition, there must have been many discussions with phone manufacturer, creative manager etc (I don’t know how these things work!) but my point is ‘COMMUNICATION’ which springs up ideas individually and during meeting they share. The is the same with finding your purpose, you need to talk about your urges, dreams, passion everything with God. Nobody’s saying you cannot have your own mind, but does it align with God’s plans for you?

You cannot find this on your own, you are not YOUR OWN, You belong to God and the sooner you realise this the better.

We all live in a world where most people don’t even know who they are, the world itself is lost. This is why God’s purpose for us is to ‘ Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you’.

It is not your job to find your purpose, it is the will of God however that you walk with in, in that he will showcase your purpose. From the moment we were born God has initiated his greatness into us

God loves us, he wants us to come to him, he wants us to ask because his thoughts for us are ‘GOOD’. God made us, he knows what’s best for us, not our parents, our friends, not even our tiny little brains.

To find your purpose, you need to partner up with Christ. It is mandatory that we develop that relationship with God, where we can differentiate and separate our urges versus God’s given instincts. It is not every opportunity that comes your way that you must take. Just because something feels natural doesn’t mean it is right for you. We need to keep asking, and be okay with the answers we are left with because truth be told Only God knows what’s best for us.

You must position yourself in Christ meaning that your ‘attitude and character’ is changed and renewed daily. When you begin to see yourself how God sees you, you’ll begin to attract the things he wants for you, you’ll begin to develop characters that will lead you to finding your purpose.

Here are three things I want us to reflect on concerning Our purpose

1.      OBEDIENCE –

God is always there for us when we need him, even when we do not deserve that Grace. Abraham and Saul both had a relationship with God, but the difference is that Abraham was obedient and Saul was not. Are you prepared to leave everything behind and walk faithfully and boldly to the unknown?

2.      AGREEMENT

Are you willing to follow God’s direction for your life, or you think you know better than the manufacturer himself? It’s quite sad that we do not argue about how things we use should be made cause funny enough, we have no direct access to the manufacturers but here we have the MANUFACTURER of all THINGS! And we tell him how he should run the life he gave us.

3.      POSITIONING

The question we all squeeze our faces over. Where are you with God? God will not reveal his plans for you, if you are not developed. It’s not because he doesn’t love or care for you, it’s more of a protection. You wouldn’t apply for college or university without the right grades or experiences would you?

So the question is where are you with Christ?. I know you go to church everyday, you sing, you dance, you pay your tithes but WHO ARE YOU IN CHRIST?, who are you when nobody is watching? Are you making the conscious effort everyday to know Christ more or you just want him to help you in finding your purpose?

Be Encouraged.

Grace  

FORGIVENESS

Something happened today, I was online and viewed a friend’s display picture talking about wanting to be better. WHY is this relevant? You’re about to find out

Sometimes we hold on to the sorry (s) we haven’t received or the other person’s deepest understanding of the pain they have caused us. Seeing my friend’s picture reminded me that we are all fighting a battle, deep within that we subconsciously and consciously use to hurt those around us, whether we like to admit it or not. It made me laugh infact because we can be so unfair in the way we expect people to be perfect for our needs without considering their struggles.

I can tell you this much, the minute I saw that picture, I felt liberated. I felt this way because I knew I was growing, because I was able to understand that their forgiveness is not what I needed, but the understanding that we are not perfect. Also knowing that we are all fighting a battle that we tend to judge each other, for instead of praying for one another. Luke 17:3, 4 states ‘So watch yourselves. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him." As I would normally say, you have to be okay with the apology you didn’t get, you have to be okay with it... LIFE GOES ON.

We hold on to pain at times that we actually forget to ask God, what can I do in this situation? We bury the hurt inside and in the process we also forget to guard our hearts. Sometimes we think we are over something, you think you’ve moved past it because some chapters have gone but all it takes is an association psychology for it all to come back.

It’s okay for us to have pain as we are able to reach out with compassion to others in the same situation as we are or been through BUT don’t stay in pain. Our obedience to God may lead us to suffering but it will also make us a perfect leader. A leader who loves to FORGIVE

My lesson so far is that for me to stop being thrown around by the world, I am learning to reply on God to show me what’s best for me.

KEEP LEARNING

KEEP FORGIVING

KEEP LOVING 

My attendance at church does not define my relationship with God.

I see a lot of Christians being judged and they are considered "not on fire" because they don't go to every weekday service. Can I just question those that attend?

 "Does your weekly service involve judging people or worshipping and serving your creator?"

Since we are on the matter, I would kindly like to remind each of us that, our attendance at church does not determine the quality of our relationship with Christ. In addition to that, for anyone struggling with this kind of issue, I would also like to remind you all that God’s love is not based on how many times we come to church each week. God’s love is UNCONDITIONAL.   
Why preach to those outside when those of us in the church and ripping the inside apart? 

We as Christians tend to pick which sin is greater than the other, ‘oh girl you haven’t been to church in a long time, you are not taking God seriously’ REALLY?? Does your greed, prideful, judgmental act show that you are taking God seriously? We honestly have to stop weighing one sin over the other.

REMINDER: God looks on the INSIDE
Churches are supposed to be a holy sanctuary where people are able to bring their trouble and go home with joy. In today's churches, this isn't necessarily true, churches are now becoming places where you cannot share your brokenness and struggle without the fear of condemnation from those who are supposed to lift the broken (Hebrews 10: 24-25). 

If we are truly our brothers and sisters keepers, we must learn to ASK God for help when we do not know what to say, in whatever position we are in. 

There is no point in having a higher position to help people, yet you abuse your position by continually bending the broken.

We all know and believe that God forgives us for all our sins. However, this is not in any way a ‘GO AHEAD’ card to treat others in terrible ways and God will still forgive us.  While it is true that we will surely be forgiven for such behaviour, his grace is not a LICENSE to treat others so shamefully.

This post is not to discourage anyone but to encourage and remind us all to check ourselves before we wreck ourselves. Let us continue in the act of kindness, PRAY for your neighbour. 
Act 4:12 helps me to understand that God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. I see this as what A & B say about your service or worship is not what will save you. You can; call upon the name of God anywhere and in his infinite mercy? He will hear you. 

Your attendance at church is important but so is your HEART. 
Shalom 

Your hurt... God's opportunity

Being hurt is such a confusing place to be, you are stuck between getting even, crying it all out or expressing how hurt you are. Joseph's story inspires me so much because he went through all these phase and did nothing but cry unto his God. When you're hurting, everything is looked at with the big magnifying glasses and the more you think about it and dwell on it ? The more it hurts. But I want to encourage you right now as Mathew 11:28-30 ‘come to me all who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest’. All we have to do is go to God with our hurt because his yoke is light. Unlike how neighbours who sometimes stress out our hurt, God will not do that because he does not respond to our emotions but gives us strength to handle our hurt.

Psalm 27 reminds me that and states in verse: 10 "when your father, mother ........ (Fill in) forsake you; the Lord will come to our rescue. The verse didn't say if these people hurt you, it emphasised on the "WHEN" as a confirmation that people will hurt us but God says he will never leave or forsake us. One thing I've learnt in my season is that I must keep my eyes on Christ and ask what is it that I'm supposed to learn in this process?.

This type of thinking helps me to take my eyes of those who have hurt me and focus my energy what God is trying to tell me and how I will grow in that season. Focusing too much on your hurt can even make you act out of character and now you'll create a big mess of trying to heal and trying to clean up your character. Do not create more mess while you're trying to heal, just remember that our experience sometimes isn’t about us: it's more to do with God showing his mighty hand in our lives.
I know you're thinking but Grace you don't know how much I'm hurting , they've hurt me but ask yourself this is it much more than what Christ went through ?

The enemy will try and play with your mind giving you every reason to flip out and act but don't do it. Even if you are going to confront those who hurt you?, do it by using wisdom and compassion. I've been in a place where i would lash out because i responded only to my emotions and when I look back, I just think why girl? Now you have to start over. Imagine if Joseph had acted out of character with his prison mates, he would have probably stayed in there longer than expected. This is the same when you're hurting; when you stay hurting you are leaving yourself in a prison God never intended for you. The mind itself can be used as a prison, which is why the enemy always wants us to react with our emotions and feelings. YES! Feeling the hurt is necessary, that is what makes us human but reacting using those feelings as guidelines will lead to foolishness. Romans 12:19 ‘vengeance belongs to God’ he will do the fighting, not our silly and unreliable emotions, give it all to God and he will FIX IT!


Be encouraged that God is doing far more than you can imagine in your life during the difficult seasons. There's a hidden treasure there and only those who patiently endure will see and receive it.
Stay strong and Happy
Shalom 

I Decide….

 I just couldn’t take the routine of waking up, praying and crying at the same time anymore, because I didn’t understand what was going on. I finally had enough and asked God to simply allow my pain to be productive. I didn’t understand the meaning of this when I said it out loud. 

Then I found one of my bible plan on the floor and ‘Deuteronomy 13:15’ appeared. I thought to myself ‘here we go’. So I opened the scripture and it says ‘You must attack that town and completely destroy all its inhabitants, as well as all the livestock’. You see sometimes I feel like God has got jokes! I knew exactly what that scripture meant and I was so desperate to do all those things, but just because I was willing didn’t necessarily mean it would be easy or I was ready. Let me break it down

The town that needs to be attacked is the darkest part of me, I will admit it when all you know is pain and hurt, parts of you begin to turn dark. It is not enough to ask God to clear it out without you also making the effort. The town is a new space I have created inside of me that is filled with anger, bitterness, you name it, and it’s probably all in there. The Holy Spirit ministered to me that in this time of attack, I must attack the dark town with love, light, prayer, peace, and self-acceptance. I cannot attack darkness with more darkness.

The Inhabitants – the inhabitants are those who live in that occupied town, and I know just who they are, the angry friend, the I told you so friend, the not so nice friend, those who hurt you including myself. It was always easier to hold unto the pain than to let the pain play its cause and let it go. I felt like if I allowed the inhabitants to stay in, it meant that I was still in control. But God doesn’t want that for me or you, he sees how much my pain is wrecking me and pulling me in a direction, he didn’t plan for me. I am learning to thank God for the inhabitants because they have showed me what i don't need which has allowed me to recognise true self and character

I’m the kind of person that feels, as though an apology should be given or received before everything and anything seemed real. However, I have learnt that, that attitude is the one thing that will continue to hold you back from where God wants to take you. When you hold on painful or negative energy, it will continue to drain you because you are demanding too much from a situation whereby, you have no control over.

 In fact it showed me that i was allowing my ego to dictate to me, and I really didn’t want this anymore. All I desire is to keep running, running to God because no matter how my attitude keeps me from him? God keeps pulling me closer, though the way he does it may be uncomfortable but he never forces.

It’s easier to be upset at your situation especially when you know, you gave the best of the best but you feel as though nothing good came out of it. But I am here to let you know that you are wrong, something good came out of that, Growth came out of it, protection from God came out of that, Healing came out of that. We may never understand his ways but one thing that we should be comforted by is that, he loves us and wants to fill every single void in us with what he is about and who he is. You may not see it now, but it will reveal itself, and sometimes the growth, protection and healing are not for you but for others. Sometimes the strong must bear the infirmity for the weak.

I no longer ask God to take my pain away because pain takes you to a position where you are able to identify your purpose, I simply ask for strength during my process. I realised I couldn’t attract growth if all I was looking for, was the easy way out or comfort. God uses us how he wants, sometimes we are to be broken to be used, and other times we are to be strong to be used. Either way God has the final say.

We have to see ourselves as vessels of the most high, and with that been said, we cannot be used if we are so filled with anger or bitterness, envy from things that have taken so much from us. We are precious to God, so we need to continue to remind ourselves, of who we are to him.

I don’t know where I am going, or where he is taking me, still I will follow because I refuse to go back.

Shalom 

Healing

Growth happens when you are prepared to learn from a bad experience regardless of how you feel about it. I have learnt that you cannot be afraid of the process, the pain. You have to allow God to use your pain to renew you, meaning you are in total surrender of his will for you at that moment and you let go and let God. 

it is easier to run back to the pain because it is easier than feeling the pain itself, but you couldn't be more wrong. If you keep running back? you will never see what the future holds, or the lesson is about to bless you with. It takes trusting in our heavenly father and having faith in what he is doing. 

STEP 1 - If your experience is not giving you what you rightfully believe you deserve? PRAY & Let God. what this means is you accept your situation, without trying to help God in turning your situation around. IT IS NOT YOUR JOB

STEP 2 - BE FIRM IN YOUR IDENTITY - Know who you are, if you know yourself? no one can tag you in a team you clearly do not belong to. The scriptures state that :"You are the light of the world- like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden". We all know the purpose of light in the darkness. When you find your identity in christ ? all there is for you is to let your light shine. 
Do not let the opinions of others diminish that because, in the long run, you will find out that their opinion really has nothing to do with you or your purpose on earth. And while you're firm in your identity? it is not your duty in telling people about who or what you are. Light speaks for itself in darkness. 

STEP 3- Guard your heart - When you don't guard your heart? you don't know your worth because you allow anything into your heart, you allow people to bring you out of your character. 

STEP 4- EMBRACE THE PAIN - I know this sounds crazy, but this is the only way that can quicken the process, accept your situation for what it is. If someone hurts you? and never apologise? so be it, leave it to God. Your job is not to convince anyway about what they have put you through. your healing is about YOU. 

STEP 5- DO NOT COMPARE - Do not compare yourself to another sister or brother, you do not have to belittle yourself because of what you are going through. You need to allow the word of God to build your confidence, You need to remember that you are loved and valued, and bought at a price. So allowing others including yourself to speak negativity into your life? is not permitted, neither is it God's plan for you. 

Shalom 

Total Surrender

Before my walk with God, I can honestly admit that I never thought about his love towards me, I was too busy filling my empty void with pointless and empty relationships just to fill my empty void. When things did not go as I wanted, I would start torturing myself saying God does not love me and not happy with me. I would cry and nag and nag asking him ‘WHY?’ people told me you loved me so why did you let this happen? You can clearly see where I went wrong, why should anyone have to tell me my heavenly father loves me?

One day, the Holy Spirit convicted my heart and explained to me that I was trying to find happiness in empty things and I cannot discover my happiness until I am in the right relationship with God. I was truly confused because I thought my heart was with God all along, however the mistake I made, just like anyone was loving God when things went my way, and when they stopped going the way I wanted? I would come off the ‘His radar’.

I realised I was still empty even trying to do things myself, I desperately disliked the emptiness I felt, so I got on my knees and asked for forgiveness. Through this experience, I learnt that the only way you can fill a void is by giving it to the one who created you and created that void also.

Giving yourself to God means giving everything to God, it means being content with everything the lord is allowing us to go through without resentment because you will find that the void will become bigger. I am a runner, I run from everything that does not make sense to me, but it eventually reached a stage where I had to question my destination. Where am I running to? (Psalm 139:41).

Trusting God in our situations does not mean he will tell us what we want to hear and we cannot fight God with our emotions, as he does not respond to our ‘nagging emotions’. This does not mean that God does not love us, what this mean is that he is not satisfied with nor will he accept our fleshly behaviour. Not our will but ‘thy will be done’.

Shalom