Let’s Recap!
We’re going to tie the last three weeks together today
You already know that you are a precious daughter of the King, clothed in the righteousness of Christ and chosen by God to be a part of His amazing family
Remember, nothing about your life is random and not one moment of your story is useless or wasted
You are not an accident, even if you were unplanned by your parents
God knew you, loved you and chose you before the foundation of the world
He has a plan for your life that He ordained long ago, and He even wrote it down in a special book
Make no mistake, God can use everything that you are and all that you have been, seen and experienced for His glory
You also know that He has given you very specific gifts, talents and abilities that point you in your own personal, divine God-direction
And we’ve discussed the fact that just knowing who He has created you to be, can give you confidence in making small daily choices, as well as life-altering decisions as you go through this life... when you remember that His Spirit lives inside of you and He is in control
See Reflection/Question #1
Armed with that knowledge and foundational premise, now what do you do?
Stop Searching From the Wrong Premise
You shouldn’t be asking, “God, what is your will for my life?”
That implies that the life you have is yours; and it is most certainly not because of you or anything you have done
Your life is His and He has just given it to you for a time
Romans 14:8 (NLT) says “If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”
See Reflection/Question #2
We’ve Also Misunderstood Purpose
Many times, our entire basis for our current Kingdom-purpose line of thinking is incorrect
If your life is His, not yours, then the next question should not be, “What do You want me to do with what I have?”
That suggests that everything you have is yours and not His
Everything belongs to Him because He created it all so we should ask, “What do You want me to do with what is Yours?”
Colossians 1:16 (NLT) says, “For through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.”
Stop Attaching Too Many Selfish Agendas To Your Personal Quest for the Will of God
Even though we know that we are His and everything we have is His, oftentimes we still act like our life is ours
You might think you have to find out what you need to do with “your” life, but remember, your life is not your own… it was bought with a price
You should not be asking, “What is Your will for my life?,” but rather you should simply ask, “What is Your will?” or “What is Your plan?”
And since your life is His, you could ask, “What do You want with what is Yours?”
See Reflection/Question #3
Knowing God’s Will Starts with Knowing God
Remember, everything is His, including you
That means your God-purpose is tied to your relationship with the Father
It starts with God, it ultimately ends with Him and everything in between has to do exclusively with Him
Matthew 7 is clear that you can do miracles in God’s name and not know Him intimately
That scripture tells us plainly that your purpose is not external (ie: human relationships, job or career, not even your ‘church resume’)
Everything you do, however important, is not necessarily part of your Kingdom-purpose
Your purpose ties His Spirit to your spirit; it is internal and it is eternal
Romans 8:16 (NLT) says, “For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.”
See Reflection/Question #4
We Need to Find out His Plan
Remember, you should simply ask Him, “What is Your plan?”
And then you just need to jump on board with what He is doing
This is not a new concept; Jesus did it
Many books have been written and sermons have been given with this same basic premise: What is God doing? Where is He working? Find the answers to those questions and in so doing, you will find your God-purpose
John 5:19 (NLT) says, “So Jesus explained, ‘I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.’”
What is the Bottom Line in All of This?
Your job is basically to find out what God is doing around you, and jump on board
And how do you know, and finally do that?
By pursuing Him with your entire being
Instead of saying: “God, give me the blueprint, I’ll look it over, make a few changes that work better for me, talk to a few friends, do a little internet research and then get back to you so we can negotiate.”
You should say: “How can I fit into your plan and purpose?”
In other words, you should be asking the question, “What are You going to do with or without me?”
2 Chronicles 15:2b (NLT) says, “The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with him! Whenever you seek him, you will find him.’”
When you know what God is doing and what He is going to do, you’ve just answered the question, “What is His will?”
And that leads you to a place of confidence in knowing what you should do next
Purpose is taking your short, brief life and investing it in what God is doing, because that’s the only thing that lasts forever
See Reflection/Question #5
Reflections/Questions:
What nugget of truth from the last three weeks has spoken to you the most?
Why do we often forget that our life is not our own? We know it in theory, but many times we fail to live it out on a daily basis. What causes that tendency in your life?
What is the difference between asking God to show you His will for your life vs. asking Him to simply show you His will?
Which of these words describe your God-purpose? eternal, external, internal
How long will the Lord stay with you? And when will you find Him? (2 Chronicles 15:2)