WHAT IS GOD'S PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE (AND HOW TOO FIND IT) - BY: LIFELONG LEARNING MATTERS, JAN. 17,
Waking up feeling purposeless is incredibly frustrating. You look around and see your friends and co-workers living passionate, engaged, meaningful lives. They have deep relationships, rewarding jobs and a sense of direction that compels them to hop out of bed each morning with a spring in their step.
You know that God has something good in store for you. You don't believe he intends you to live a life of painful drudgery in which each day is a total drag. After all, the Bible is chock full of passages about joy, while this certainly doesn't mean that mean mean day is a parade and circus, it does mean that an overall sense of gladness should permeate your life.
In Psalms 63:7, David said,, "...for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy." How can you get to that place? Where instead of wondering aimlessly through life, you're actually singing for joy (or just making a Joyful noise if you're not the singing type)?
In this post, we're going to first talk about some Key signs that you may not be living in the fullness of God's purpose for you.
SIX SIGNS THAT YOU MAY NOT BE LIVING IN GOD'S PURPOSE
Psalms 57:2 says, I cry out to God most high, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. This is key in understanding God's purpose for your life has numbered your days and will fulfill every purpose he has for you.
However, our choices and actions also really matter. In some ways, this is a mystery we can't fully understand, but that doesn't mean it's not true. We can choose to do things that will bring us more joy and give us more of a sense of purpose.
Identify those choices you can make to bring excitement and god-given purpose into your life.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO KNOW GOD?
Whitney Hopler
Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer
Knowing God goes beyond just an awareness that he exists, or merely knowledge about him. It means having a personal and intimate relationship with God. As we enjoy relationships with God, we grow in our understanding of his character and notice God’s presence and work in our lives.
God wants us to know him, and he emphasizes the importance
of knowing him. In Jeremiah 9:24, God the Father declares:
“… let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me…”. Jesus reveals in his prayer to God the Father in John 17:3: “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
How Can We Truly Know God?
The key to genuinely knowing God is to connect to him through a relationship with Jesus, and to keep growing closer to God through that relationship. Thanks to Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice for our sins, we can come to God and get to know him. Jesus tells us in John 14:6: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” By looking to Jesus, we gain a profound understanding of who God is. Jesus reveals the nature of God to us, saying in John 14:9-10: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. … The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.” The actions Jesus takes are all in obedience to God the Father (John 5:19), and the words Jesus speaks come from the Father (John 12:49).
So, to truly know God, we must genuinely know Jesus. When we wholeheartedly pursue relationships with God through Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit, and the facts we have learned about God come to life for us as we get to know him personally. Jesus tells us in John 14:26 that the Holy Spirit “… will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” We can rely on the Holy Spirit’s power to teach us all we need to know God personally – the way God wants us to know him.
1 Corinthians 2:12 reveals: “What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.”
God wants personal relationships with us. So, truly knowing God means establishing and enjoying a relationship with him.
5 WAYS TO GET TO KNOW GOD MORE
1. Pray and Meditate.
When we communicate with God through prayer, we can express our thoughts and feelings and seek God’s encouragement and guidance. Prayer is talking with God, while meditation is listening to God. Both prayer and meditation are essential ways of getting to know God more. Colossians 4:2 urges us to “Devote yourselves to prayer,” while Psalm 143:5 encourages us to “meditate on all your [God’s] works.”
2. Read and Study the Bible.
The Bible is God’s inspired Word and his love letter to us. Regularly reading and studying the Bible helps us understand who God really is and how we can best enjoy relationships with him. Hebrews 4:12 points out: “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
3. Obey God’s Commands.
Obedience to God’s commands is a vital aspect of knowing him. By aligning our lives with God’s wisdom, we get to know his character and demonstrate our love and reverence for him. 1 John 2:3-4 declares: “We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.”
4. Look for signs of God’s wonder in nature.
Nature reveals the wonder of God’s character. Romans 1:20 reveals: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” By spending time in nature and seeking God through his creation there, we can wake up to the wonder of God’s work around us and grow closer to him in the process.
5. Focus on relationship, not ritual.
We need to pay more attention to our personal relationships with God than we do to performing religious rituals. While it’s important to participate in worship services and do service projects with other believers, none of that ultimately matters if we’re not genuinely connected with God when we do so. God tells us in Hosea 6:6: “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.” Knowing God involves truly changing our hearts to embrace God’s grace and mercy, not just performing religious actions.
CONCLUSION
God isn’t a distant being who is difficult to know. He is a loving Father who wants us to know him personally. But truly knowing God involves more than just gaining knowledge about him. Knowing God means enjoying a relationship with him that is based on love. God’s love is at the core of who he is, so when we truly know God, we live in love.
IDENTITY AND SELF-IMAGE
IDENTITY & SELF-IMAGE
WHO ARE YOU?
DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU REALLY ARE?
WHAT IS YOUR REAL IDENTITY?
WHAT IS AN IDENTITY?
IS YOUR IDENTITY SOMETHING YOU ARE BORN WITH?
IS IT CHANGEABLE OR NEVER ABLE TO CHANGE?
Ever since Adam made his choice to disobey God in the Garden of Eden, he and all his descendants have been identified with sin. His declaration of independence explains the rebellious nature we each inherited. Because we were born into the family of Adam, we all possess the natural bent to e self-centered lives.
Yet with a heart of love, the heavenly Father has persistently sought to draw each person with His offer of adoption. He desires to adopt us into His family and to give us a new nature... the same moral nature of His Son. When you become a true Christian by receiving Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you also receive a new identity. As a child of God, your old sin nature has been exchanged for a glorious new nature.
THE BIBLE REVEALS THAT YOU RECEIVE
A NEW IDENTITY IN CHRIST!!
Most people experience confusion about who they really are because they lack a Biblical understanding of what determines their identity.
WOMEN OF FAITH ARTICLE
ALIGNING YOUR BELIEFS WITH GOD'S TRUTH
1. RECOGNIZE THE POWER OF YOUR BELIEFS
Our beliefs shape our decisions, relationships, and overall life direction. If we hold onto false beliefs-such as negative generalizations about people--they will influence our interactions, create division, and lead us away from God's truth.
2. IDENTIFY FALSE BELIEFS
Take a moment to reflect:
-what beliefs have you accepted as truth they may not align with God's word?
-Have these beliefs affected your relationships, opportunities, or self perception?
-What kind of fruit are they producing in your life-peace or struggle?
3. REPLACE LIES WITH GOD'S TRUTH
Rather than feeling guilty or condemned, view this as an opportunity for transformation. God invites us to renew our minds and align with his Will.
Romans 12: 2 reminds us:
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, will be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
ASK YOURSELF
-Does this belief align with God's word?
-What does scripture say about this area of my life?
-How can I replace this false belief with biblical truth?
4. UPROOT AND REPLANT
Once the false belief is exposed, don't let it take root again. Actively choose to reflect it and replace it with what God says. Surround yourself with his truth daily through prayer, scripture, and Godly wisdom.
5. WALK IN FAITH AND RENEWAL Faith
God's ultimate desire is for us to do His Will, live in His truth, and grow in faith. Renewing your mind is a continuous process, but every step brings you closer to a life that is pleasing to Him.
WHAT ARE YOUR BELIEFS WORKSHEET
PRIDE IS____________ MEN ARE _____________
FAMILY IS___________ WOMEN ARE__________
MARRIAGE IS_______ GOD IS ________________
CHURCH IS__________ FAITH IS_______________
MONEY IS ___________ MY KIDS ARE __________
PRAYER IS___________ SEX IS__________________
SUCCESS IS__________ LOVE IS________________
KNOWLEDGE IS______ WISDOM IS____________
MERCY IS_____________ POWER IS_____________
MORALS ARE_________ LIFE IS_________________
SUFFICIENT GRACE
Many people are not able to work through the problems they face and fear has a devastating effect on them.
Jesus invites those who are tired and heavy-laden to bring their problems to Him and find rest for their souls. He invites you to bring your anxieties to Him because He cares for you.
Turn to God, He will enable you to handle your problems with courage. Receive your strength and confidence from Him because in all circumstances His grace will be more than sufficient for you so that you can deal with your problems in a new, assured manner.
Father, I ask you for strength to assist me in times
of weakness, help me to know Your grace that is
sufficient for me. Amen