How to Live a Life of Purpose

Ever wonder why some people seem to advance, while others look as if they are just trying to stay afloat? Find out the keys to living a life that is filled with purpose.

Purpose... Anyone that's been in the church world for any length of time, has heard this word at least once. But what is purpose, really? And how does one live a life of purpose? Glad you asked! According to Dictionary.com, purpose is the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists. It is easy to overlook our God-given talents and gifts without realizing it. We tend to subconsciously do this when we get comfortable performing a task. We downplay the significance of our gift and begin to only see it as a means to provide for ourselves or our families. We may even fail to realize it is a gift at all.

It is easy to overlook our God-given talents and gifts without realizing it.

The bible tells us that we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10 ESV). From this scripture, we can imply that the very first step to living a life of purpose is to acknowledge that your purpose cannot be found outside of God. Here are a few more things that will help you to start living a life of purpose.

Accept Jesus

Getting in a right relationship with Jesus is much easier than many make it out to be. Salvation is called a free gift for a reason. If you are not saved, the first step is to acknowledge that you are in need of a Savior. The next step is to repent of your sins. This simply means to confess the things that you have done that caused a separation between you and God, to ask for God's forgiveness (and possibly the forgiveness of others), to choose to forgive others, and to accept God's free gift. You will want to be baptized in water and with the Holy Spirit. The water baptism is a physical demonstration of your decision to live for Jesus. The baptism of the Holy Spirit gives the Holy Spirit permission to live in you and to change you from the inside out. The Holy Spirit will be your ultimate teacher and He will begin to teach and guide you into all truth.

Seek the Lord

The bible says a lot about seeking the Lord. Isaiah 55:6 tells us to seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Jeremiah 29:13 reminds us that we will only find the Lord when we seek Him with all our heart. Seeking God helps us to build and nurture an authentic relationship with our Father. We seek God by reading the bible regularly so that we can know the character of Christ. We also seek God through daily prayer and meditation, and even by fasting. These things will be tougher to do in the beginning because it is always harder to build a good habit than it is to fall into a bad one. Just remember that consistency is key.

Look for Ways to be Jesus' Hands and Feet

The more we study the scriptures, the more we understand the character of Christ. This is vital in knowing how to operate as Jesus' hands and feet. The scriptures tell us that we are the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27). This suggests that some things will only be accomplished when we yield to the Spirit and allow Him to use us to bless His people. We bless others by showing the love of Christ. This can be accomplished by feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, and visiting the sick and imprisoned as it says in Matthew 25:35-40. Selfless giving offers greater rewards and stores up eternal treasures in heaven.

Fix Your Focus

Competition is real, so is jealousy. It does us no good when we look at what someone else is doing and compare ourselves to that person. This is a weapon formed against you and was designed to take you out. It greatly contributes to the reason why many of us forego building anything of value. We do not realize that the person we see who has, what we perceive to be, a large platform also had humble beginnings - they did not start out at the level that they are currently at! It is easy to look at the latter results and not comprehend the former struggle that most successful people have had to endure. Taking your eyes off of everyone else will free up the time you need to do the things that God has purposed for you to do.

Leave Your Comfort Zone

Before you throw the book at me, let me acknowledge that this is often easier said than done. Though this is harder to do, it is necessary if you truly want to begin living a life of purpose. Comfort zones are meant to stifle creativity, let us believe that excuses are okay, and do not challenge us to live at our fullest potential. It causes us to deny the part of ourselves that dreams and says, "There's gotta be more than this." It is the devil's way of keeping us enslaved and bound. In order to live a life of purpose, you will need to push past your comfort and feelings to do the uncomfortable, inconvenient, and sometimes even scary things. Accountability will be key here so be sure to find someone who you trust to challenge and push you into greatness.

Purpose is already in you. God created you with a purpose in mind. He went to the cross to for a purpose. He is calling you back to Himself to help you realize your purpose. So, now that you have no excuses and you are not focusing on anyone else, what are you going to do with what the Lord has placed inside of you? Remember, it's only what you do for Christ that will last so aim to please Him (2 Corinthians 5:9-10).