16 Apr Preparation for Fulfilling God’s Purpose for Your Life
We need to know the will of God and appreciate His plans so we can participate in fulfilling His purposes in every area of our lives. God has plans for every life and they are not set in concrete. He is also aware of the circumstances of our lives and our freedom to make choices. All these impact how His will is being done on earth. He has foreknowledge; He has set laws into motion, including the law of cause and effect. He is also all powerful in that He can make all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (See Romans 8:28-30).
Purpose can be defined as the original intention of the creator or manufacturer of a product. In the Greek language, it suggests a deliberate plan, a proposition, an advance plan, an intention and a design. It is a “setting forth”. God’s plan of salvation shows His eternal purposes are being worked despite all the opposition to His will being done.
Someone once said that when purpose in not known, abuse is inevitable. Many people abuse the things of God because their purposes are not known. We tend to abuse the privileges we have in God like prayer, worship and fellowship with one another when God’s purposes for these things are not known!
Steps In The Preparation
Romans 12:1-3
I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]. For by the grace (unmerited favour of God) given to me I warn everyone among you not to estimate and think of himself more highly than he ought [not to have an exaggerated opinion of his own importance], but to rate his ability with sober judgment, each according to the degree of faith apportioned by God to him.
The first step is to recognise God’s mercies and respond to these by presenting our bodies a living sacrifice unto God. This is considered our reasonable service. A decisive dedication of our bodies to God is the beginning of our preparation for His purposes to be fulfilled in our lives. This is the basis for holiness as we reckon with our bodies as being totally dedicated to The Lord. You can no longer use it for anything that will not honour the name of The Lord and His presence.
The second step is to renew our minds. The world is constantly trying to squeeze us into its mould by its thought patterns, thinking processes and value systems. The world”s system is captured in 1 John 2:15-17, namely, the lust of the eyes, of the flesh and pride of life. Someone calls it wanting, wanting, wanting. The activities we see today are ingrained in some thought patterns that we need to uproot in our minds and replace them with God”s thoughts in His word.
1 John 2:15-17
Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things] – these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself]. And the world passes away and disappears, and with it the forbidden cravings (the passionate desires, the lust) of it; but he who does the will of God and carries out His purposes in his life abides (remains) forever.
The third step is taking your place in God’s scheme of things in humility. As He has dealt to everyone a measure of faith, start where you are, cherish what you have and employ what He has given you to add value to others as you serve His purposes in the lives of others. Your faith can grow, so will your knowledge and eventually your stature in the spirit. But one thing you cannot do without is humility. Take your place in humility! That is the way to prove the will of God in your life. Many times we judge the will of God by our comfort or convenience; we miss the mark by doing so. There was nothing convenient or comfortable for Joseph when he was sold as a slave into the house of Potiphar. Did God orchestrate it? No! The will of God for Joseph was seen in how he bore the wickedness of his brothers. He committed Himself to God so God kept him in spite of all that was being done to him. He interpreted his circumstances and perceived rightly that the will of God for him was primarily in his internal condition rather than judging things from his external condition that was not pleasant at the time. The lesson here is that we cannot and should not judge God’s will primarily from external circumstances. God’s will starts with us aligning our internal configuration with His Word. Ask yourself, “Am I in obedience to God?”
Read Hebrews 12:1-17
The fourth step is to lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily besets us. We are to do something about weights that can hinder our race. One such weight can be laziness, or carelessness, or a lack of gravity. Foolishness can also be a weight. Ignorance is not allowed in this race
The fifth step is a recognition of the race set before us. Each one of us has a race marked for us. It is a race against yourself and you are running against your potential. The next person is not your opponent in this race. Paul talked about putting his body under so he could run successfully in 1 Cor. 9:27. Your race is not another person’s, so run yours. Be inspired by others but recognise you have your uniqueness. You are to run this race with perseverance or endurance. It’s a marathon not a sprint.
The final step is looking unto Jesus. He is the pattern Son and inspires faith in God. Our focus should not be on ourselves but on Him. He is the embodiment of God’s will as He ran the race set before Him successfully.
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