Your Purpose
Psalm 138:8 (NLT) The Lord will work out his plans for my life—for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you made me.
What is God calling you to do? Does it seem ridiculous and absolutely impossible. Are you too shy to achieve it, not smart enough or just not naturally gifted in that area? Our God is the God of the impossible. He never uses the most likely and rarely the most talented. He's got a good reason for that. If you have a natural ability that you use for His glory... chances are you'll end up wanting the credit for the results. Don't get me wrong, of course He wants us to use our abilities to serve Him as long as we remain dependent on Him. I'm talking about those moments when He begins to lead us in a direction that's completely uncomfortable and even we think it's ridiculous, unattainable and quite honestly...a little frightening. I love what Joyce Meyer says about that, "DO IT AFRAID!" There are times that you simply have to step out by faith and trust God to do what only He can do. One thing I've promised the Lord is that if HE opens a door, I'm going through it. No matter how terrified I may be... I'll not disobey Him. It's an honor to serve God in any capacity. Whether it's cleaning the toilets at church, teaching a class, feeding the poor, leading others in worship, writing a devotion, ministering one on one or preaching from the pulpit, it's a blessing if we are doing it out of obedience and devotion to God.
As you draw closer to Him begin practicing obedience, one step at a time. No task for the Kingdom is too menial and no calling of God is too big to handle with His anointing. The important thing is... listen and obey. It's not about how qualified or intelligent you are, but it's simply about how much you're willing to surrender. As you do so, you will give Him more of your time to pray, worship and learn from His Word. Eventually you'll realize your life is not your own and you don't even want it to be. God's plans are so much greater and giving Him control is the only way to live.
Don't make excuses for why you can't do it. With God leading and equipping you, you're powerful, unstoppable and absolutely necessary for the advancement of His Kingdom. Don't compare yourself to anyone else! You are uniquely made! He's got a special calling designed just for you. Don't worry, though it may feel a little uncomfortable stepping into it... it's a perfect fit and it will fulfill its purpose. Trust Him, He made you and knows what fits you best!
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (NLT) There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.
A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages,while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
