With Sergey here this morning I thought it would be appropriate to share about purpose. Sergey left Belarus with nothing to launch out to bring his family to safety and freedom in the US. He began his life in the US serving and has developed his own construction company and has since grown to follow the Lord by not only being a man of integrity in business but to serve the Lord as a minister of the Gospel. He makes a way for many to hear the gospel message through his generosity!
About a year ago I preached about finding your purpose to review ( I think sometimes we need to review what we have taught and learned.
- Know your gifts, skills, talents and abilities God gave you what you need to begin fulfilling your purpose these are all keys to your purpose.
- What is your heart’s desire?…..God created you with a dream, desire what is that desire?
- Ask yourself these questions What is it that I love to do? What is it that bothers me so much that I want to fix? This reveals part of your purpose.
- What has the Lord said to you through his word, prophecy, or the wisdom and insight of people you trust (wisdom in a multitude of counselors)
Proverbs 11:14
Where there is no guidance the people fall, but in abundance of counselors there is victory (wisdom).
Let’s look at some scripture this morning to help us understand God’s plan for the basics for each of us….I’m going to throw a lot at you this morning so make sure you have the app on your phone or take really good notes
1 Corinthians 2:6-10
6However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
9But as it is written:
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
10But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
Mark 16:17-18
17And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Ecclesiastes 9:10
10Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.
Daniel 11:32
. 32Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.
Matthew 5:13-16
13“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
14“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Today the challenge is how do we get there from here? How do we fulfill our purpose? These verses are all descriptive of what the Lord sees and calls you to!
We are about half-way through 2023, is this year going to be the same as last year?…the first sign of insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting different results!
How do we see the marvelous things God has revealed through his Spirit to us?
How do we do with all of our might, great exploits?
How can we not be afraid and be bold in who we are and use every gift talent and ability?
How do we shine?
- Recognize that the Lord has given you your purpose and it is His desire to fulfill it more than it is your desire
Jeremiah 29:11 – 13
11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
Proverbs 3:6
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
Psalm 37:23,24 – The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. 24 Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand.
- Based on what we know from discovering our purpose, begin to plan.
Proverbs 16:9
9A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.
-He who fails to plan plans to fail.
-Prior planning prevents poor performance. In this part of the country, we have been brow beat into believing that everybody else is responsible for us. Someone else will take care of us. Our future is in someone else’s responsibility.
-If you told that to the apostles, any leader in outside the church, the founding fathers of this nation, Dr. Martin Luther King, or whatever leader you want to think of, they all would laugh at you.
-If you do not use your mind “love the Lord our God with all of our mind” and begin to plan how is the Lord going to order your steps without using the gift God gave you in reasoning and thought. You will never be more than blind leading the blind. As Charismatics we have chosen feeling over thought, they must balance each other. All feeling and no thought and you become and emotional idiot – all thought and no feeling and you become a lifeless robot. We search for feeling for the gifts to be used and if we don’t feel like it, then we don’t use them we are not told to feel we are told to believe and respond. We must overcome feeling, with faith just like at times we also need to overcome our thoughts with faith
As we plan God is able to direct our steps if we do not plan, we wander aimlessly. As we move in God we hear his voice, even waiting is planning!
HOW DO WE BEGIN TO PLAN?
Write down your dreams
Habakkuk 2:2-3
2Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
- Apply your gift and skill sets to the plan and set goals a time line and go for it
- Allow the Lord to pull back the reigns, allow the Lord to say wait a little more. Very few of us need to be slowed down most of us need to be pushed forward
- Talk to others about your plan
Proverbs 11:14….here is the message paraphrase
14Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances.
Get advice from people who love the Lord, you, and are invested in your future
4) Don’t be afraid to make a mistake
Isaiah 30:21 (Judah was fearful and considering trusting the strength of Egypt to protect them from an attack by Assyria)
21Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,”whenever you turn to the right or to the left.
Psalm 37:23
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord,
And He delights in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the Lord upholds him with His hand.
If you blow it don’t let your pride, get in the way. Ask for forgiveness and help.
Do you want this year to be better than last year? Do you want to accomplish much more for the kingdom? Then begin planning to fulfill the dream the Lord has placed on your heart. Begin using the gift of your reason and mind that they Lord has given you. It is not about feeling it is about obedience or disobedience.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we need to understand our purpose if we are going to stand against what is going down in this nation and our world. I have given you today, practical and scriptural keys to give you understanding, but if you need prayer so your heart and mind will be open then please come!