Before becoming a Believer, I had my own dreams and goals for the future. Getting married was one of them. However, meeting my husband led me down a path that I had not originally envisioned for my life. But because he was going to be my husband, I
followed his plans, which entailed moving from New Jersey to Rhode Island, where he was accepted to a college there. This meant moving away from our families and everything familiar…
At the time, I was able to transition into a new position with the company I worked for, one that was completely different from my previous role - working in a data center. When I met my new boss, he asked me, “Do you know anything about operating systems?” I hesitantly responded, “No,” to which he replied, “Great! That’s what I wanted to hear! This way, you are not coming into the job with your own ideas and preconceived knowledge and will be pliable for training the way I want the job done.”
How easy our Christian walk would be if we would lay down our own dreams and goals to follow our Heavenly Bridegroom and His purpose for our lives. To not bring any preconceived ideas about works righteousness or selfishness into our walk, but to follow the Lord’s lead.
First, though, we need to recognize those things that hinder us from living out God’s purpose and then put into practice steps that will allow us to break through.
Holding on to Your Own Understanding
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight" Proverbs 3:5-6
Bruce Lee was a famous martial arts instructor. The story goes that an advanced student asked Bruce to teach him everything he knew about martial arts. Mr. Lee responded by holding up two cups filled with water. Lifting one cup at a time, he said, “This cup represents all I know, and this cup represents all you know. If you want to fill your cup with my knowledge, you must first empty your own cup of your knowledge.”
Unfortunately, this can be a hindrance for Christians trying to find their purpose in life. Their minds are full of their own ideas, which can hinder God from working through them. If they are depending more on what they know, they will definitely miss God’s direction.
Yet when someone asked Jesus what His purpose was, He didn’t hesitate to say, “My food {purpose} is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work.” John 4:34 This is how we know our purpose, by following Jesus’ example.
You might ask, but how do I know His will for my life? Humble yourself of your own ambitions and ask the Lord to fill you with the knowledge of HIS will for your life. "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you" James 1:5 He will answer this prayer.
We also have the Word of God, which shows us throughout what the Lord calls us to do. Allow it to redefine your thoughts about your own purpose.
Finally, be sure to obey when you “hear” God’s voice say, "This is the way, walk in it," Isaiah 30:21
Not Allowing God to be Part of the Decision Making
"A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9
Years ago, I learned a harsh lesson about not allowing God to be part of a decision that would affect our family, particularly my husband. Once my husband finished seminary, he began to look for a church home to shepherd. Several churches showed strong interest in my husband, but because our children were small and this would’ve involved moving, I didn’t want to uproot everything. I was the one who ultimately closed those doors. Do I know for sure that those churches were God’s will for my husband? No. However, I certainly wasn’t allowing God to be part of the decision-making process, but was instead allowing my feelings to drive my decisions. Not only that, we had a challenging experience with the first church my husband ultimately pastored, which makes me wonder if that was part of God’s lesson from my original disobedience.
In the story of Jonah, he did not want to preach in Nineveh, but instead attempted to leave on a boat. The Lord sent a storm, which caused Jonah to be swallowed up by a great fish. This divine intervention brought Jonah back to God’s will. Jonah had to go through difficulty to allow God into his decision-making, finally, and to obey.
Wouldn’t it be better to invite God into our decisions? For me, I think there definitely was an element of fear regarding God’s will. Fear that it would go against what was comfortable for my kids and me. I was ignoring the fact that the Lord always has something better in store for us, especially when His will is involved. And as we saw in my story, there was still discomfort, even in the place I thought I’d be comfortable. We are sooo limited in our knowledge, yet we think we know better and can make the best decisions.
If you are facing a decision, pray without fear. Ask the Lord to show you His will in that decision. As our verse states, it is the Lord who directs our steps.
Seek His will for that decision in the Word. NOT by cherry-picking verses out of context, BUT by seeing if what you are praying for and the decision at hand line up with Scripture.
And again, obey His leading. "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8
Lacking a True Connection with Jesus
"Live in me, and I will live in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must stay connected to the vine—neither can you bear fruit unless you stay connected to me". John 15:4-5
If you think about it, as Believers, our ultimate, overarching purpose in life is to stay connected to Christ. Without Jesus, we will fail to walk in obedience and service to Him. We could indeed find ourselves in trouble. What if our greater purpose was that every moment of the day, we kept our connection with Jesus at the forefront of our minds? Staying connected to Jesus is the safest place to be!
As a self-proclaimed rule follower and list maker, I can fall into the pitfall of making my daily spiritual practices a to-do list rather than a means to enjoy a relationship with Christ. Anybody else? I am making it so much more complicated by ticking off “went to church Sunday”, “prayed”, “read the Bible”, etc., rather than enjoying the simple but profound pleasure of communing with my Lord and Savior and soaking up time with Him. How much more meaningful would my worship service, prayer time, and Bible reading be if they were rooted in love for the Father and spent in His presence?
When we focus on being fully present with the Lord and less on ticking off a to-do list, we will find that our genuine connection with Jesus will lead to those spiritual practices that we initially “performed” as works into a means to connect with the Lord, which will then bring about actual fruit in our lives that align with God’s purpose for us.
The next time you sit down to pray, envision Jesus right in front of you. Talk to Him as your Friend, your Father, your Brother. He embodies all of those things. After all, He died on the cross so that we would have bold access to Him through the blood of Jesus.
When you pick up your Bible to read, remember that it is Jesus who speaks to you right from those Holy pages. Consume His Words as His love letter to you.
When you go to church next, think about where two or more are gathered together; He is there, present with you.
When you consciously meditate on all of these things, those spiritual practices will become a means for a deeper connection with Christ.
Dear Lord, help us to recognize these hindrances to living out Your purpose and to break through by leaning not on our own understanding, inviting You into all of our decisions, and prioritizing genuine connection with You.
What is your biggest hindrance in living out God’s purpose? What can you do this week to break through and live out God’s purpose?
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